Gone Astray
by CupOfAngst
Summary: "This is all your fault. You know that, right?" What happens when a talkative grizzly bear and a high maintenance koala, who doesn't much care for said talkative grizzly bear, get stuck in the woods together? Is it every bit as disastrous as you'd imagine? Find out.
1. Ambush

**Title:** Gone Astray  
 **Summary:** "This is all your fault. You know that, right?" What happens when a talkative grizzly bear and a high maintenance koala, who doesn't much care for said talkative grizzly bear, get stuck in the woods together? Is it every bit as disastrous as you'd imagine? Find out.  
 **Rating:** T (for some violence)  
 **Disclaimer(s):** "We Bare Bears" and all its characters are property of Daniel Chong and Cartoon Network. I make no profit from these writings. Cover art courtesy of thatdoodlebug (tumblr) a.k.a coffeebandit (deviantART).

* * *

 **Chapter I:** Ambush

It was moments like this that he always savored. The small, mom and pop coffee house was one of his favorite hubs, as he never had to worry about the hustle and bustle of some of the bigger chain shops. It was always calm, with the majority of the customer base being seniors, and it was here that he was able to unwind and clear his mind. In the last year, his life had revolved so heavily around a tight schedule that he hardly had time to stop and take a breath. Sometimes he loved every second of attention, and then on other days, he just wanted to be able to hear his own thoughts. It was rare he had a day like today, not being surrounded by fans, not having his security personnel following his every move, or having paparazzi blinding him with their cameras.

Nom Nom placed his magazine down on the table and reached for his phone, mentally cursing himself for not being able to keep his face away from the screen for more than five minutes. He only looked for a few seconds before he finally convinced himself to turn the phone face down on the table. _Can't you just relax for one day?_

The koala reached for his still steaming latte and pulled it closer. The milk foam which topped off the beverage remained undisturbed, as he hadn't taken his first sip yet. He brought the cup to his mouth and was just about to test the temperature with the tip of his tongue when he suddenly paused, brows furrowing as he was overwhelmed with the strange feeling that he was being watched. He slowly turned around and let out a loud yelp as he noticed Grizz's paws and excited face pressed up against the window behind him, his hot breath fogging up the glass. Nom Nom cursed under his breath as he noticed some of his latte had sloshed out of the cup and splattered onto the floor. He turned back to shoot the bear an angry glare, but he had already started making his way to the front of the shop. The koala groaned audibly as he saw the grizzly bear burst through the front entrance, the bell hanging above the door jingling loudly.

"Nom Nom! Hey!" Grizz greeted excitedly as he rushed over.

"And here I thought today was going to be a good day," Nom Nom mumbled, though the bear was too overcome with excitement to hear him.

"Hey, man! I haven't seen you in forever! How long's it been, anyway? A few months?"

Nom Nom placed an elbow on the table, propping his head up with his paw. "Weeks, actually," he sighed.

The bear cocked his head. "Wow, really? It feels way longer than that."

"How I wish," the koala muttered quietly.

"What?"

"What?"

Grizz yanked an empty chair out from under the table and quickly plopped down directly across from the agitated marsupial. "Dude, I'm glad I spotted you in here! I'm really in need of some good feedback and you're the perfect critic!"

Nom Nom sighed loudly as he began rubbing his temples. "Can't this wait? I mean…do we have to do this right now?"

"Aw, c'mon! You're always so busy doing your own thing, and it's not like I have your number or anything. I just really really really really really need your opinion on this!"

"Really?"

Grizz giggled loudly. "Okay…so you know I've tried making internet videos, right? I mean, my bros and I tried making cute videos like yours and they just fell flat. My problem was I saw a formula that was working for you and I thought maybe that could work for me! Well…it didn't, obviously, but I think I might have found my niche!"

By this point, Nom Nom had flipped his phone onto its back again and was currently checking the feed on his channel, mumbling a disinterested, "Mmhmm," as he did so.

"Okay, so the other day I was at home, playing video games, and Pan-Pan was…Dude, you're not even listening."

"Yeah, I am," Nom Nom mumbled, eyes still focused on his phone. Frowning, Grizz reached out and pulled the device away. "Hey!"

"C'mon, man. I really want you to hear me out on this one. Okay…so Panda's sitting next to me on the couch while I'm playing video games, but I was so engrossed in the game that I really didn't even notice he was there until I hear him laughing at me. I was kind of making a scene while I was playing. You know….getting angry and shouting at the TV every time I'd get frustrated, and Panda makes the comment that people would probably pay to watch me play video games, just so they can see me overreact to stuff. I sorta just laughed the comment off at first, but after a while, it suddenly hit me! Gaming!" Grizz extended his arms in a dramatic fashion to emphasize his excitement.

Nom Nom arched a brow. "Gaming? What, you mean doing Let's Play videos?"

Grizz nodded his head excitedly.

"Oh, come on. You mean making videos where people just watch you scream and yell while playing some game for twenty minutes?"

"Well, not just screaming and yelling. I'd make all sorts of commentary while I play! Seriously, I'm a gaming fanatic! I've played every genre of game you can imagine!"

The koala waved him off. "Let's Plays aren't really my thing."

"Well, I know they're not _your_ thing, but I think they might be right up my alley!"

Nom Nom shrugged as he reached for what was left of his latte. "Whatever floats your boat. If that's what you wanna do, knock yourself out," he said, taking a sip. Grizz tapped the tips of his paws together anxiously, a pleading look on his face.

"Well…I was kinda hoping to get a more in-depth review from you," he said hopefully. "I'd really like for you to watch me play and give your feedback."

Nom Nom did his best to hide his displeasure at the idea of accompanying the bear to his home. "Look, I've got a pretty busy schedule ahead of me," he reasoned, forcing disappointment into his tone.

"Well…you're not busy right now, are you?"

"Well, I…I…"

Grizz quickly got up from his seat. "C'mon! Just fifteen minutes!" The bear laced his paws together in a pleading gesture. "Please! This is really important to me!" Grizz suddenly got down on his knees, grabbing the attention of a customer sitting just a few tables away. "Please, please, _please!_ "

"All right, all right! Just get up off the floor! You're embarrassing me!" the koala hissed through gritted teeth. Beaming, Grizz leapt to his feet, unable to stifle a loud squeal of excitement. "Wait…are your brothers home?" Nom Nom asked suddenly, a look of dread crossing his face.

"Oh…well, Panda is. When I left the cave, he was in his room doing something on the laptop."

"And the other one?" Nom Nom asked with a hint of fear in his tone.

"He had some kind of interpretive dance class today. He probably won't be back for another hour. Why do you ask?"

"Uh…no reason." Grabbing his phone, Nom Nom hopped down from his chair. "All right, lead the way," he sighed. _Let's get this over with._

ooooooo

Nom Nom had tried his best to distract himself as he and the talkative grizzly bear trudged through the forest. With his phone grasped in one paw, he irritably swatted at buzzing insects with the other, already regretting his decision to humor the bear. He occasionally shifted his attention away from the bright screen of his phone to see where they were, sometimes catching one or two sentences of the chattering bear before becoming engrossed with social media once again.

"So I already bought some of the stuff I needed. You know, like a microphone and set of headphones," Grizz went on, believing the koala to be listening to his every word, despite him making no audible declaration that he had heard him. "I've started checking out some of the gamers on Everyone's Tube and getting some of my inspiration from them. They're really funny! You know, I was thinking…maybe if this thing takes off for me, maybe you and I could do a collab video or something. I see a lot of internet celebs doing joint videos together. I know you said Let's Plays aren't your thing, but it might be fun to try something different. I'm still trying to figure out what video game I should play for my first video. There's this wicked cool game that came out recently that has all these awesome graphics and looks really high-depth and…"

Nom Nom came to a sudden halt, tearing his eyes away from his phone and glancing over his shoulder as he heard an unsettling noise close by. "Woah, hold on…did you hear that?" he asked, whipping his head back to Grizz.

"Huh?" Grizz glanced around, raising a brow. "Hear what?"

"Just shut up for a second," Nom Nom hissed as he moved his head from side to side, listening for the sound he swore he heard.

"What'd it sound like?" Grizz asked in a low tone.

"It sounded like…like a…"

The koala suddenly went rigid with fear when he heard the sound again, realizing what it was.

Growling.

"Don't panic," Grizz whispered to him, having heard the sound as well.

Nom Nom slowly turned his head in the direction he was certain he had heard the growling, his eyes bulging as they were met with the sight of a large, gray wolf stepping out from the bushes, its hackles raised and lips pulled back in an angry grimace. Grizz wasted no time and quickly closed the distance between himself and Nom Nom, stepping protectively in front of the koala. "Just stay behind me!" he said. He spread his arms out and tried to look as big and threatening as possible. "Don't worry, I can take this guy on easily!"

Grizz suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye, prompting him to take his eyes off the predator in front of him momentarily. His confidence faltered as he noticed a second wolf step into view, snarling at the duo. "Oh…I uh…see you brought a friend," the grizzly bear laughed nervously. Two more wolves suddenly rushed to the scene, and Grizz knew right then and there that they were in serious trouble. "And….he brought _his_ friends." Grizz could feel Nom Nom's paws clutching tightly at his leg. "Okay, so….I don't wanna cause a panic or anything...but we sorta might be in trouble here."

"You think?!"

As one of the wolves took its first step towards the pair, Grizz reacted quickly, knowing they had no other choice but to run. He turned and scooped Nom Nom off the ground before turning to flee, choosing not to run in the direction of his cave as he wasn't going to risk his brother's safety by leading the predators to their home. "Hold on!" Grizz shouted to the koala as he forced him to his shoulders before dropping down to all fours, knowing he could pick up more speed that way.

Nom Nom held onto the bear tightly as they raced through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and zigzagging in different directions in the hopes of confusing the pursuing wolves. The forest seemed to get denser and denser the further they went, making it difficult to dodge obstacles as they fled. Nom Nom risked a glance over his shoulder, horrified to see that one of the wolves was closing the distance between them and appeared ready to pounce. "AAH! GET AWAY!" he screamed as he hurled his phone at the predator, which struck him right on the snout. The wolf let out a pained yelp and fell back, though the other three were still in hot pursuit of the duo. "THEY'RE GAINING ON US!"

Grizz wheezed and gasped for breath as he pushed himself to move faster, though he knew his energy was fading rapidly. His hope quickly reignited when he noticed a wide, steady-flowing river come into view as they neared a break in the trees. Seeing that Grizz intended to enter the water, Nom Nom quickly grabbed at the scruff of the bear's neck and held on for dear life. Grizz charged into the river without a second thought, not even bothering to slow down. The ice cold water came as more of a shock to Nom Nom than Grizz, as he was too focused on trying to lose the persistent wolf pack to care about the stabbing pain of the frigid river. The water soon reached his shoulders as he ventured further out. He dug his claws into the gravel and sediment as the current pushed against him, threatening to sweep both of them away. Once they made it to the other side, Grizz turned back to see that the wolves had stopped at the river's edge, one of them daring to take a few steps into the water before deciding it wasn't worth the risk. The pack eventually turned and headed back into the forest in search of a new, more easily attainable meal.

Grizz let out a heavy sigh as he collapsed against the bank, breathing heavily. "That was….too close," he panted. Nom Nom slid down from the bear's back and went to sit down on a large rock, trembling slightly. After taking a few moments to collect himself, his fear slowly transitioned to frustration.

"Today was supposed to be my day to just relax," he whined. "So much for that!"

Grizz propped himself up on his elbows as he looked at the koala. "Hey, at least we're still alive!" The grizzly lifted himself into a sitting position, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

"We must have run a mile! Do you even know where we are now?" Nom Nom asked as he observed their surroundings. Grizz frowned as he had a quick look around as well.

"Uh….yeah, sure. I've lived in these woods for years. I can find our way back no sweat. As soon as I catch my breath we'll make our way across the river and be on our way. I can have us back in ten minutes easy!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Welp, here I am again with a new story, just as I'd hoped! I know it's been a while since my last story and I'm sorry for that, but this story required a lot more work than my last one. I'd like to take this moment to thank all those who read and reviewed "Make It a Hashtag". The story got a lot of positive feedback, and I'm really hoping this one won't disappoint, either. This story will be much longer than the last, and will carry on for several chapters, with updates every Friday. Also, a big thanks to **thatdoodlebug** for creating the lovely cover art for this story! When I decided I definitely wanted to have some kind of cover art to go along with the story, she was the first person who came to mind for the job! Her style is adorable and unique and was exactly what I wanted. She's done quite a bit of WBB fanart and art for other fandoms as well, so check out her blog.

I had first discussed the idea for this story with someone on tumblr. It was just a weird plot bunny that I came up with that I just thought was neat but I didn't think would actually develop into anything more. Right around that same time, I came up with the idea for "Make It a Hashtag" and so for the next week, all of my attention was focused on that story. But once I was finished, I found myself coming back to this little idea and trying to figure out a way I could develop it further, because I really liked the idea and felt that it had too much potential to simply let go. And well, here we are. Because of my bad history with multi-chapter stories, I tried to keep this story as short and condensed as possible. It seems like anything beyond 25,000 words is a no-go for me, though this particular story has already surpassed 25,000 words, and it's still not quite done.

A few quick notes about this story. As you can see, it has a higher rating than "Make It a Hashtag." I tried to keep the characters and their situations believable for the show, but there's still some stuff in here that would never make it onto the screen. So do be aware. It gets a little dark in certain areas, but there's definitely humor and light-heartedness, and there's quite a bit of emotion as well. Like 'Burrito' level emotion, but like double that. Burrito Supreme basically lol. And while I tried to add a good bit of detail to this story, it relies more heavily on dialogue in some places, and the reason for that is the fact that these two characters just DEMAND a lot of dialogue. Trust me, their interactions are really fun to write.

Another thing to keep in mind…I was already 12,000 words into this story when the first Bear Bomb started October 12th and about 15,000 words in when the second one started. I swore to myself that I was going to continue with this story as planned and that I wasn't going to change ANYTHING, or add anything as a result of the new episodes. So please keep this in mind while you're reading. I started working on this story September 17th, before I even saw a summary for 'Brother Up', so this story has been in production for a while.

Anyway...I hope you enjoy, and I apologize for the super long author's note. My other author's notes won't be this long, I promise XD


	2. Lost

**Chapter II:** Lost

"It's been ten minutes," Nom Nom snapped as he followed closely behind the grizzly bear, his arms folded over his chest. Grizz paused every twenty steps or so, placing a paw to his chin as he tried to determine the next direction they should take.

"Okay, maybe ten minutes was a stretch, but I know where we are, don't worry." He waved for the marsupial to follow, who simply rolled his eyes as he trailed behind him. "Uh…we came from this direction, right?" Grizz asked as he came to another sudden stop.

"How should I know?! I was too worried about not being disemboweled to pay attention to where we were going!" Nom Nom narrowed his eyes as he saw the look of uncertainty etched in the bear's face. "I thought you said you knew your way around these woods," he said accusingly.

Grizz turned his head sharply to meet the koala's scrutinizing gaze. "No, I do! I just had to stop and think for a sec," he reassured. He hummed softly as he took another thorough look at the surrounding forest. "It's this way!" he said confidently and motioned for Nom Nom to follow.

The minutes slowly ticked by, with no sign of the cozy little cave, or any other sign of civilization for that matter.

"It's been at least forty-five minutes! Shouldn't we have been there by now?!" Nom Nom shouted, a hint of fear in his tone. He glared at the back of Grizz's head, unfolding his arms to clench his fists. "Did you hear me?! Where are we?! Do you even know?!"

Grizz slowly turned to face the koala, a look of defeat crossing his face as he looked down at his feet. "No…I don't," he admitted softly. He rubbed his arm as tears stung his eyes. "I thought I could find our way back, but…the truth is my brothers and I usually don't stray too far from the cave."

Nom Nom just stared at the bear for the longest time. "So basically, we're lost," he said matter-of-factly. Grizz only nodded, preparing himself for the blowup he knew was coming. Nom Nom crossed his arms again and nodded as he began to pace back and forth. "That's….That's great. You know, that's just fantastic," he said cheerfully, though his sarcasm was painfully obvious. "Just the other day I was saying to myself what a shame it is that I don't get outside nearly enough! What's not to enjoy? I mean, you got mosquitos, poison ivy, and predators that wanna eat your face off! Who needs indoor plumbing and the internet, anyway?! THIS IS JUST DANDY!"

Grizz held up his paws. "Nom Nom, calm down. I promise, we're gonna get out of here. We just got turned around. I'm sure the cave's probably close by. We're probably right on top of it! Let's just keep our cool, all right?"

"Look, just get me out of here," the koala snapped, swatting at the air as gnats swarmed around his face. Sighing, Grizz continued on, a highly agitated Nom Nom following closely behind, muttering complaints under his breath.

ooooooo

"This is all your fault. You know that right?"

"Yeah…you've mentioned it a few times," Grizz sighed as he ducked beneath a low hanging branch.

"Well, I just thought I'd remind you in case you forgot," Nom Nom stated haughtily. "UGH! Look at this! My fur's covered in dirt!" he groaned as he tried to rid himself of the clumps of dirt clinging to his legs. He took note of where the shadows were on the ground and started wondering what time it was, kicking himself for not wearing his watch today. "How long has it been, anyway?"

"A couple of hours, maybe?" Grizz stopped near the base of a tree and plopped down onto the ground with a tired groan. "Why don't we take five?"

Nom Nom kicked a pebble angrily before taking a seat on the ground across from the bear.

"Listen…we might need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that we could be stuck out here for a while." Grizz knew if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under at that very moment. It was hard to believe someone who made adorable internet videos could produce such horrifying facial expressions. "It may be a day or…more before we find our way home. We just need to stay calm and keep our wits."

"Days? No, no, no! I have a video to shoot tomorrow! I can't be stuck out here!" The koala looked absolutely panicked now.

"Well…I'm sorry, but…you might have to miss it."

"Oh, no. No, no, _no!_ " Nom Nom got back to his feet and made his way over to the tree Grizz was resting against. The bear blinked, watching as the koala scaled his way up the tree trunk.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna climb up there and see if I can get an idea of where we are!"

Nom Nom eased his way up through the branches, making his way towards the top of the tree. He gulped nervously as he spared a glance at the ground beneath him, his grip tightening on the branch above him. Grunting, he hoisted himself up and balanced himself atop the branch, placing a hand against the trunk to steady himself.

"What'd' you see?!" Grizz called from the ground.

Nom Nom ignored him as he scanned the horizon, which was mostly hidden from view due to much taller trees blocking his line of sight. He growled in frustration as he swiftly made his way back down. "I can't see a thing! The trees are in the way!" The koala dropped down and hit the ground with a thud. "I can't get high enough in that tree."

"Well, don't try to climb anymore. You might slip and fall."

Nom Nom glanced up at the bear. "So why don't _you_ climb up to get a look? Aren't bears supposed to be good at climbing trees?"

Grizz looked a bit startled by the suggestion. "Eh…not this bear. I don't have a great history with trees," he laughed. "I'd rather not."

"Whatever," the koala huffed. Spotting a moss-covered log over to his right, he opted to sit on that rather than sit in the dirt. "So what exactly are we supposed to do for food?" he inquired, picking more clumps of dirt from his fur, which was becoming messier by the minute.

Grizz thought about it for a moment as he repositioned himself beneath the tree. For now, he wasn't feeling a great deal of hunger since he had eaten such a large breakfast. In that moment, he couldn't have been more grateful that Ice Bear had prepared such a big feast for his brothers this morning, but he knew the big meal would only last him for a little longer, and what then? Remembering what happened to his brothers just two months ago after having gone too long without food made him shudder. He certainly wasn't going to let _that_ happen.

"Well, you probably won't have much of an issue. I mean…you don't eat meat, right? So you don't have to worry about hunting for food." Grizz gestured to the surrounding vegetation. "You're surrounded by food!"

Nom Nom made a face as he had a look around at the various trees and plants. "Oh yeah…my mouth's already watering," he replied sarcastically.

"Well hey, beggars can't be choosers," Grizz shot back with a shrug.

"And to think, I could be back at the coffee shop, enjoying a latte right now."

"C'mon, it could be worse."

The koala shrugged. "Give it some time. The day's still young."

Grizz sighed, slumping back against the tree.

ooooooo

Exhaustion had started to set in for the pair as they continued through the dense forest, their hopes of finding their way back before dark dwindling. Nom Nom was struggling to keep up with the bear, as his tiny legs felt incredibly sore from having walked for so many hours. He was just about to request they take another break when he noticed Grizz had stopped abruptly.

"Hey, look!" the bear exclaimed as he rushed over to a large collection of bushes. "I think we can eat these," he said as he plucked the tiny berries from the leaves and popped them in his mouth. Nom Nom strolled up behind him, eying the bushes suspiciously.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yep. There's a bunch of these growing near our cave. Ice likes to use them in his desserts."

Nom Nom threw caution to the wind as he pinched off a berry from the bush, too hungry to care. He chewed the tiny fruit with a slight grimace, not really caring for the tangy taste. "Now what?" he asked as he plucked a few more. "It's getting late."

Grizz looked up through the canopy, still shoving berries into his maw. He noted how low the sun was and knew it had to be close to six o' clock by now, if not later. He wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth and glanced down at the koala. "Maybe we should call it a day. I don't know about you, but I don't really wanna be walking through these woods in the dark." The bear frowned when he saw just how displeased Nom Nom appeared at the idea of having to sleep outside. "Maybe if we look around, we can find a cave or something to sleep in," Grizz suggested as he continued forward, eating more berries as he went.

"Shouldn't we like…try to build a fire, or something? You know, to keep predators away?"

"Fires usually _attract_ predators. Plus, it could take a long time to start one since we don't have any matches or a lighter." Grizz wiped his paws against his fur to rid himself of the sticky berry juice. "Besides…we'd really only need a fire to keep warm and to cook food. We'll worry about that tomorrow, assuming we haven't made it back by then."

The koala pouted as he folded his arms over his chest. "If I still had my phone, we could send for help."

"That's assuming you'd even get a signal way out here. Besides, I'm sure everybody's looking for us by now."

"But how are they going to know where to look?! They don't know we're lost in the woods!"

"True," Grizz sighed, looking at the ground. There was a momentary silence between the pair before Grizz looked up and spotted what looked to be a small rock formation just ahead of them, which he noticed had an outcropping that looked large enough for them both to fit under. "Look over there," he said as he pointed it out. "That looks like a good spot to crash. I mean, it's not a cave, but it'll probably keep us dry in case it rains." Grizz crouched down and positioned himself under the rock, pleased to see that his head cleared the top by about three inches. "It's perfect!"

"Yeah, sleeping in the cold dirt. Spectacular," Nom Nom snapped as he glared at the damp, bare ground at the base of the rock. He looked thoughtful for a moment as he took note of the fallen leaves scattered around his feet.

"What're you doing?" Grizz asked as he watched the koala begin to gather the leaves into a pile.

"Making a bed to sleep on. I'm not sleeping on the cold hard ground."

Nom Nom bunched the leaves together as best he could, knowing they were a far cry from his comfy, marshmallow soft bed, but it would do. He nestled into the leaf bed, first lying flat on his back, and then shifting onto his side, grumbling.

"You know those leaves probably have bugs in 'em," Grizz pointed out as he watched the smaller animal continue to shift around.

Eyes widening in horror, Nom Nom leapt away from the leaves with a loud yelp, checking his fur for any unwanted guests. He shot Grizz a glare as he heard him chuckling lightly.

"Look, I know this is way out of your comfort zone, but you're just gonna have to tough it out."

Nom Nom sighed irritably as he rubbed his tired eyes. This was going to be a painfully long night.

ooooooo

"All right….thanks, anyway," Panda muttered with heavy disappointment as he ended the call. "They haven't seen him, either," he said as he turned to his younger brother. "I think I've called every one of his favorite hangouts. _No one's_ seen him." Panic began to set in as the panda paced the living room. "What if he was kidnapped?!"

"Ice Bear doubts that," the polar bear replied. He was fairly certain no one would be crazy enough to kidnap the hyperactive grizzly bear.

"How can you be sure?! Where else could he be? It's almost dark and he's not home yet! I know this isn't the first time he's come home late, but…I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." Panda went to peek through the window again in the hope of seeing his brother meandering up to the cave at that very moment, but he saw no such thing. "Look, maybe we should just head into town and start looking."

The two bears quickly exited the cave and ventured out into the darkening forest, Panda rushing ahead of his younger sibling. He only managed to make it a short distance into the woods before he noticed Ice Bear had fallen behind and had come to a complete stop, his attention focused on the ground. He turned back to him, brows furrowing in confusion. "Dude, what're you doing? Come on!"

"Ice Bear found something," his brother replied as he looked his way, pointing a finger at the ground. Panda ran over and looked to the spot where his brother was pointing. He had to crouch down to get a better look, as it was hard to see in the slowly darkening forest. "Are those…Grizz's footprints?" Panda looked up at his brother and then back down to the footprints again. "Wait…it looks like there's another set of prints here. They're a lot smaller."

Ice Bear began to circle the area, eyes trained on the ground. His concern swelled when he noticed multiple sets of footprints close by, which he suspected were made by wolves. "Ice Bear doesn't like this," he stated as he looked back to Panda, who looked very shaken at this point.

"Grizz!" Panda shouted frantically but he received no answer. "Oh my gosh," he gasped, placing his paws to his head. "What if something bad happened? What if he got hurt? Oh, no…no, no, no…When he left the cave this afternoon…I barely said two words to him! I didn't even look up when he told me he was leaving! No, no, _why_ didn't I look at him?!" Feeling Ice Bear's paws on his shoulders, Panda didn't hesitate to lean into his sibling, pressing his head to his shoulder as he tried to fight off the sobs that threatened to escape.

The two brothers stiffened and looked up when they heard a rustle nearby. "Grizz, is that you?!" Panda shouted hopefully, while Ice Bear narrowed his eyes suspiciously, turning around to face whatever it was that was closing in on them and placing himself directly in front of his brother.

A tall figure suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, and just from looking at the creature's silhouette, it was easy for them to tell it wasn't Grizz. "Who…Who's there?" Panda asked as he clutched his brother tightly. He held up his phone to shine its light on the creature.

"Woah, woah, turn off your brights there!" the creature exclaimed as he held up a hand to shield his eyes.

"Charlie," Panda sighed with relief, stepping out from behind Ice Bear. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I was just passin' back through and thought I'd stop in and say hey! What's all the noise over here, anyway? Where's big bro?"

"We don't know," Panda squeaked, fighting back tears. "He left the cave earlier today and hasn't come back!" He turned and shined a light on the footprints. "And we think these footprints might belong to him."

Frowning, Charlie made his way over to the prints and knelt down to get a better look. "Whose prints are these?" he asked as he pointed to the much smaller prints.

"I'm not sure."

"Hmm…"

"Ice Bear found more prints over here," the polar bear chimed in, pointing at the ground just a few feet away.

Charlie stood up and made his way over to have a look for himself. "Looks like wolves," he said seriously, prompting Panda to gasp in horror.

"No, no, no," he cried quietly, hiding his face in his paws.

"Now, now, just calm down a sec," Charlie said gently, holding up a hand. "We don't know what happened. Looks like the prints lead in that direction," he said as he turned and pointed a finger. "Give us some light, Pan-Man."

Panda held up his phone and shined its light near the wolf tracks. "They lead this way," he said as he went ahead of the others, keeping the light on the ground as he walked, with Charlie and Ice Bear trailing closely behind him. "Grizz!" the panda called into the dark. "If you can hear me, please answer!"

The trail of prints eventually ended, though the trio still kept trudging on in the direction they had been heading, hoping they were still on the right path.

"Woah, hang on," Panda said as he came to an abrupt halt, lifting his phone a little higher. "I see something over there." Holding his light on the strange, purple object, he made his way towards it, unable to discern what it was until he was standing directly over it. "It's…It's a phone," he said as he scooped it up, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Grizz's?" Charlie asked.

"No…" Panda turned the phone over and touched a finger to the screen, hoping the battery wasn't already dead. The light of the screen suddenly illuminated his face and his eyes widened as he took in its details. "This is Nom Nom's phone!" he exclaimed.

Charlie raised a brow while Ice Bear narrowed his eyes.

"Who's Nom Nom?"

"A butt," replied Ice Bear.

"He's a really popular koala who makes viral videos. What in the world would he be doing out here?" Realization suddenly struck him as he recalled the smaller footprints. "You think he's with Grizz?"

"Looks like it."

"Well, that's good, right? I mean, it's good that they're together."

"Ice Bear would disagree."

Panda gazed out into the darkness. "What'd we do?"

Charlie suddenly sprouted a look of serious determination. "All right, listen up! Go home and pack your backpacks! Grab some snacks, bottled water and some flashlights! We got us some missing persons to find!" he said urgently.

Panda appeared apprehensive. "But…what if _we_ get lost, too?"

Charlie smiled confidently, waving the comment off. "Don't you worry about a thing, Pan-Man. I've lived in these woods for nearly ten years! I know my way around, don't you worry! If they're out there, I can find 'em. Now let's hurry! Time's wasting!"

The two bears spared a quick glance at each other before turning to run back to the cave to gather up their needed supplies.

ooooooo

Grizz had been awake for close to an hour now, occasionally glancing at Nom Nom as he shifted around or mumbled something in his sleep. The bear sighed, his mind heavy with thoughts of his brothers and what they were doing at this very moment. He knew they wouldn't be asleep. Not a single one of them ever went to bed until they all knew their brothers were safe at home. _I wonder if they went looking for me in the city? Panda's probably called every restaurant in town by now._

Hearing a soft groan to his right, Grizz looked down, noticing Nom Nom was awake and had turned over to glare at him. "I hate this."

"I know."

"I can't sleep."

"I know."

The koala sat up, flicking a leaf off his shoulder. "You don't even look like you're trying to sleep."

Grizz shrugged. "Well, I _did_ try, but I woke up. I've got a lot on my mind."

"That can't be good. It might overheat."

"I was thinking about my bros," Grizz continued, ignoring the jab. "I just hope they're doing okay without me."

"What are you worried about _them_ for? We're the ones who's got the real problems here!"

"Nom Nom, they're my brothers! I can't help but worry about them! I've always been around to take care of them. They've never gone this long without me."

Nom Nom sighed heavily, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Look, uh… Grizz, right? Your brothers are adults, and I'm sure they can handle themselves just fine without you around." Noticing the bear looked somewhat hurt by his choice of words, he quickly added, "Not that they _don't_ need you. I'm just saying they're not helpless."

"Yeah…I guess. Do you think they're worried?"

"I'm sure they're worried," Nom Nom replied with growing agitation as he resettled himself atop his pile of leaves.

"Do you think they're looking for me?"

"If I say yes, will you shut up and go to sleep?"

Grizz slouched against the rock, resting both his paws atop his stomach. "Do _you_ have any brothers or sisters?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"No," the koala mumbled.

"Do you have any family at all?"

Nom Nom stared at him for a moment before turning over, his back now facing the bear. "No," he repeated, his tone quiet but stern.

Grizz stared at the back of his head for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the dark wilderness surrounding them. "You know…it's kinda peaceful out here. Once you get past the hunger and using leaves for toilet paper, it's not so bad. Hey, you wanna try and spot the different constellations?"

"Grizz, go to sleep."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'd like to give a big thanks to all those who reviewed and followed this story! I appreciate it greatly! Remember that updates will be every Friday! :)


	3. Familiar

**Chapter III:** Familiar

The first thing that registered in the koala's foggy brain was the sound of birds chirping loudly. Cracking one eye open, he noticed the purplish hue in the sky and concluded it was very early in the morning. Nom Nom slowly rose into a sitting position, groaning when he felt how stiff his back was. He certainly hadn't expected to get much sleep, but he couldn't have imagined he'd feel this horrible. He looked to his left, expecting to find the grizzly bear sleeping beside him, but he had already moved, leaving a small impression in the ground where he had slept. Nom Nom sighed heavily as he stumbled to his feet, scratching his stomach.

"Grizz, where are you?" he called, annoyance heavy in his tone. He headed for the edge of the woods, though he didn't intend to venture too far. He spotted footprints on the ground that he was almost certain belonged to the bear. "Seriously, where-ACK!" Nom Nom recoiled as he felt himself walk directly into a spider web. He slapped and clawed at his face frantically to rid himself of the sticky, stringy mess. "GET IT OFF! GET! IT! _OFF_!" Plucking the remnants of the web from his ears, he visibly shuddered, grimacing.

"Hey, glad you're up!" he heard Grizz's chipper voice call to him. Gnashing his teeth, Nom Nom made his way over to him.

"Can't you wake up angry at the world like normal people?" he snapped as he pushed his way through the bushes. The koala cocked a brow as he noticed the bear hunched over on the ground, one paw holding up a rotted log as he sifted through the dirt with the other. "What are you doing, exactly?"

"Eating some breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

Nom Nom made his way over to have a look for himself, though he instantly regretted it. He slapped a paw over his mouth, resisting the urge to gag as he saw the numerous beetles and grubs wiggling and scurrying about in the moist soil.

"Want one?" Grizz asked as he plucked a grub from the ground and held it out to him. That did it.

Nom Nom turned and fled to a nearby tree, placing a paw against the trunk as he bent over and began to heave.

"Dude…you okay?"

"THAT IS DISGUSTING!" Nom Nom shouted over his shoulder, grabbing at his stomach as he gagged again.

Grizz shrugged, popping the grub into his mouth. "Look, this wouldn't be my first choice, either, but you gotta take what's available to you. Insects are a good source of protein. Not as tasty as pizza, but they'll do in a pinch." Grizz grabbed for a large beetle that was trying to scurry away. "You're gonna have to eat _something._ Maybe you could try chewing grass? You can get a lot of nutrients from the juice," the bear suggested.

Nom Nom wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his paw as he managed to overcome his sudden nausea, looking back at the bear with a look of surprise at hearing this bit of knowledge, not having expected to hear anything remotely intelligent coming from Grizz of all people. "I'm not a horse," he mumbled as he waved him off. He ran his tongue over the front of his teeth and grimaced. "My teeth feel like they have fuzzy slippers. I've never gone this long without brushing my teeth."

"Here, try using this," Grizz said as he scooped up a pine cone and tossed it to the koala, who caught it easily.

"And… _what_ am I supposed to do with this?" he scoffed as he inspected the object with a look of disgust.

"You can use it as a toothbrush. Just scrape it across the front of your teeth. It kinda works."

Nom Nom looked curious now. "Where did you learn all this outdoor survival stuff, anyway?" he asked as he looked back at the bear.

"I got a lot of it from watching _Badger In the Wild,_ " Grizz replied as he got to his feet, dusting the dirt off his paws. "I kinda watch it religiously."

The koala made a face, tossing the pinecone over his shoulder. "You mean that show about the blond guy with the accent who frolics through the woods, going on and on about how great nature is?" Nom Nom sneered. "Please….'I wasn't born on this earth just to stay alive. I was born to _be_ alive'," he mocked as he attempted to imitate the man's accent, which earned a giggle from Grizz. "How much you wanna bet the guy has a trailer he chills in between scenes and eats himself a ham sandwich? It's probably just a big act."

"Well… _your_ videos are technically an act, too," Grizz pointed out honestly, not intending to actually put the koala down with his words, though he was still met with a dirty look. "No offense. But you know, even if it's all just for show, the information he gives is still good." The bear suddenly chuckled. "You wanna hear a funny story? A couple months ago, I sort of got the idea for me and my bros to live out in the wild after seeing an ad for Badger's show."

Nom Nom blinked. "I'm sorry, come again?"

"Yeah…I saw this twenty second ad for his show on Everyone's Tube, and I just thought…maybe that's what _we_ should be doing."

"Let me get this straight…You dragged your brothers out into the wilderness to live like wild animals based on a twenty second ad you saw before an E-Tube video?"

Grizz grinned sheepishly. "I know…pretty dumb, right?"

"Do you always dive head first into something without thinking about it?"

"Pretty much."

Nom Nom shook his head. "Well…I hope watching that show taught you something about making a fire. I'd feel a lot better if we had a fire to huddle around when it's dark. Not that I _want_ to be out here another night."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

ooooooo

The sun was much higher now, taking the chill out of the air. The morning dew had finally evaporated from the ground, which came as a relief to the two animals, as they hated having to walk through wet grass. They suspected it was still morning, though it was difficult to determine just how late in the morning it was.

"Do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" Nom Nom asked tiredly as he slowly stumbled along behind his traveling companion.

"I don't know…maybe eleven?" Grizz placed a hand to his stomach as he felt it growl loudly. "I might need to find more bugs to eat," he sighed, hearing Nom Nom make a gagging sound behind him. The trees eventually thinned out, and the pair ventured out into a clearing, where they came upon a large pond. Grizz's face immediately lit up. "Nom Nom, look! Look!" he shouted excitedly as he pointed at the body of water resting before them.

"I see it. It's a pond," the koala sighed, not the least bit interested.

Grizz took a few steps back before making a mad dash, spreading his arms out and belly flopping against the water with a joyous yell. Nom Nom rolled his eyes as he found a grassy spot to rest. The bear resurfaced seconds later, shaking the water from his head. "C'mon, dude! Jump in!"

"Are you kidding me? As if I'm going to risk snorting a brain eating amoeba in that disgusting water!"

"Aww, stop being such a Negative Nancy!" Grizz shot back as he splashed at the koala, who held up a paw to shield his face.

"Knock it off! I'm not getting in! And don't say 'Negative Nancy'."

Grizz shrugged and began floating on his back. "Suit yourself! Have fun being covered in mud!"

Frowning deeply, Nom Nom had a look at himself, noticing the dried clumps of mud clinging to the fur on his legs. He sighed, deciding he was better off bathing in dirty water than not bathing at all. Getting to his feet, he sought out a shallow sandy spot along the edge of the pond and took a few steps out into the murky water. He scrubbed at his legs and splashed water against his stomach to rid himself of as much dirt and mud as possible, all while keeping an eye on Grizz, who he noticed was swimming towards him with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Stay back," he warned.

"What?" Grizz replied innocently. "Afraid I'm gonna splash you? You're already in the water!" Once he was close enough, he splashed at the smaller animal, prompting him to turn and flee back to dry land with a frustrated yell.

"You're the worst!"

"You're already wet!" Grizz laughed.

"That's not the point! People don't like water being splashed in their face!"

Grizz waved him off before venturing back out into deeper water. As he dog paddled his way across the pond, he found himself observing the scenery with a studious gaze. His attention shifted to a spot on the bank, and he stilled as he suddenly saw an image flash before his mind. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but he distinctively saw what looked to be a brown bear standing in the shallow area of the pond, while a young cub trotted around the grassy bank. The vision came and went in just a matter of seconds, but it still gave him pause.

The bear swam back towards the bank where Nom Nom resided. As the water became more shallow, Grizz felt his paws touch the soft, muddy bottom, and he was able to straighten up and walk out, dripping heavily.

"What's up with you?" Nom Nom asked as he raised a brow. "You look like you're in a daze."

"I don't know…this place just seems familiar. I feel like I've been here before."

"Well, you said you took your brothers out to the woods to live. Maybe you passed through here?" the koala suggested with a shrug.

Grizz shook his head slowly. "No…I would have remembered that. Whenever it was, I feel like it's been years ago."

Nom Nom furrowed his brows as he watched Grizz begin to walk away from him. "Wait, where're you going?"

"I just wanna have a look around," the bear answered quietly.

Not wanting to risk being separated, Nom Nom jumped to his feet and followed after the bear. "Well, wait for me!" he quipped.

Grizz led the way to the edge of the forest, craning his neck to look up at the massive evergreens, and then back down at the various plants and rocks along the ground. Heading a little further into the woods, they were able to pick up on the distinct sound of running water. "Is that a river?" Nom Nom asked as the sound grew louder.

"Yeah, I see it through the trees," Grizz replied. "Man…all this feels familiar to me. It's so weird. I really like it, though. It feels so…calming and peaceful."

As his gaze finally settled on the river, Nom Nom suddenly gained a spring in his step and rushed ahead of the bear. He knelt down to take a drink, confident the water was much cleaner than that from the pond. "This is probably the same river we crossed yesterday," the koala huffed. "We're probably just going in circles now."

Grizz crouched down beside the smaller animal and took a drink as well. "Well…I was thinking," he began as he wiped his mouth with the back of his paw, "…maybe we should just hang out here for a while?"

"What? Stay _here_?"

"Well, you know…people debate whether it's a good idea to stay put or to keep moving when you're lost in the wilderness. Maybe if we hang out here for a while-"

"But that only works if they _know_ we're out here, remember?"

"Well, maybe they _are_ looking for us out here. I mean…they're going to run out of places to look eventually. They're gonna _have_ to start looking in the woods."

"The city's a big place. It'll probably be days before they even _think_ to start looking for us out here, and the only reason they'll even start looking here is because they think some psycho murdered us and dumped our mutilated bodies out here for the buzzards to eat! And if by some chance they _do_ find us, then it'll probably be too late! You'll probably be dead from starvation, and I'll probably be having in-depth conversations with inanimate objects! I've seen Cast Away! I know how this stuff goes!"

Grizz couldn't help himself as he began to laugh loudly, much to Nom Nom's aggravation. "Dude, seriously, get a hold of yourself. We're not gonna die, we're not gonna go insane and give personas to inanimate objects. We're going to be _fine._ Come on, take a deep breath. _"_

Nom Nom inhaled through his nose.

"Now let it out. Good. Deep breath...Aaaand out. There, feel better?"

"No."

"Oh. Well…sorry." Grizz got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his fur. "C'mon…let's head back."

"Look, I think we should just keep moving," the other grumbled as he trailed behind the bear.

"I don't think it would hurt anything to just stop and relax for a while. It'll be kinda like camping! Plus that area is big and open; someone in a plane or helicopter might see us!"

"But the chances of that happening-"

"Please, Nom Nom?" Grizz begged as he stopped to look back at the koala pleadingly. "I can't really explain it, but I just really like this place. I don't know…it feels like home to me. I just feel happy here. Can't we stay a little longer? _Please?_ "

Nom Nom's shoulders slumped as he let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. I'm tired of walking through this stupid forest, anyway."

Grizz gave a grateful smile as he turned and continued walking. Reentering the clearing, the bear took off towards the pond again, leaping high into the air and hitting the water with a loud splash.

ooooooo

 _A few hours later…_

"I'm gonna catch a fish if my life depends on it!"

"Your life _does_ depend on it, you dork."

Grizz had been eagerly searching in the murky water for a fish of some kind for quite a while now. Nom Nom sat a few feet away from the bank, well out of splashing reach. In one paw he held a broken branch, its tiny, pencil-thin branches still covered in lush green leaves, which he was currently plucking off one by one and slowly devouring. They were far from palatable, but starvation didn't seem like a better alternative, so he suffered through it. He watched with mild amusement as the grizzly bear slowly waded through the water, his arms raised and his gaze stern and focused as he hunted for his prey.

"Oh, I see you, you little rascal," Grizz hissed. He dove forward, submerging himself briefly. He resurfaced just seconds later, a face-splitting grin on his face as he held up his prize, its wet scales gleaming in the sunlight. "I got 'im! I got 'im!" he cheered as the fish thrashed wildly in his paws. "I'm a natural born predator!" he cheered triumphantly. "Eat your heart out, Badger!"As if offended by the bear's smugness, the fish suddenly broke free from his grip, spinning through the air and striking Grizz across the face with its tail before dropping back into the water with a loud splash.

Nom Nom spat the leaf he had been chewing from his mouth as he doubled over with laughter, while Grizz stood rubbing his stinging cheek. "Oh, that hurts!" the koala gasped as he clutched his stomach, tears stinging his eyes as his laughing fit continued. "Some predator!" he teased.

With his pride in pieces, Grizz slowly made his way out of the water and shuffled over to the cackling marsupial, plopping down with a frustrated sigh as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, man," Nom Nom sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I needed a good laugh."

"Well, I'm glad you found it entertaining," Grizz huffed bitterly.

"C'mon, lighten up," the koala chuckled as he lightly punched Grizz on the arm.

"I had 'im! He was right there in my hands!" The bear clutched his stomach as he felt it rumble. "Man, I'm starving…and he was a good size, too."

"Don't you think you should build a fire _before_ you catch the fish?" Nom Nom inquired dryly as he observed one of his claws. "I mean…I'd imagine you want to _cook_ it, right?"

"Hmm…Well…I _guess_ that's an idea." Girzz considered the thought, touching his paw to his chin. "It won't be easy to do without matches." A look of excitement suddenly came to the bear's face as he leapt to his feet. "Oh! I know! I can try to make a fire bow!"

Nom Nom looked up at him. "A _what_?"

"A fire bow. I saw Badger make one on his show! It's _kinda_ like the two stick method, but it's a bit more complex."

Nom Nom snickered. "I don't think complexity is one of your strong points."

"It's not _that_ hard. I just need the right tools to make it. It looked really cool, and I wanna see if I can make one!" Grizz rose to his feet and began surveying the land for the proper necessities. "Okay…so I'm gonna need the bow itself, a baseboard…a spindle and a rock to bear down on the spindle. What's gonna to be tricky is finding something to use for string…"

"Well, have fun with that."

Grizz glanced down at the koala. "Actually, I could use your help with this. We're also gonna need tinder to get the fire lit. If you'll get that, I'll get everything else to make the bow."

Nom Nom rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. "Fine, whatever. Just get a bunch of sticks, right? Simple enough."

"No, that's kindling. We need tinder first."

The koala arched a brow. "Wait, what's the difference?"

"Combustibility. Kindling is what you'll use once your fire's a decent size. We'll work up to that, but we need tinder first. So aim for dry stuff, things that are really thin and wispy. Just pretend you're a bird making a nest!" the bear added with a laugh. "Just gather everything up into a bundle."

"Thin and wispy? What am I looking for here?"

Grizz shrugged. "I don't know…something like scraped tree bark. I think I remember Badger saying cedar bark works best, and there's plenty of cedar trees around here."

The koala mumbled every complaint imaginable as he got to his feet and begrudgingly began his assigned task. Grizz took to his own search, deciding to first look for a suitable bearing block. "How long do you think it'll take you to make a fire once you've made this bow thingy?" Nom Nom called back to him.

"Uh…it could take a while, especially considering I've never tried this before."

"How long are we talking? Like are we talking twenty minutes here, or can I read all of _Moby Dick_ in one sitting before you create a single spark?"

"Dude, tone down the sarcasm a bit, I'll do the best I can."

Nom Nom sighed in frustration as he returned to his task, which proved to be more of a chore than he first anticipated.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so from here on out, this story is going to be taking some dramatic turns. It's gonna be taking some emotional turns, to suspenseful turns, to emotional again, and then back to suspenseful again, and...yeah. It just keeps going. Sit tight. It's gonna be kind of a roller coaster.


	4. Confession

**Chapter IV:** Confession

Grizz smiled in satisfaction as he gazed down at his collection of assorted makeshift tools. The bearing block had proven to be the most difficult item to find, as it wasn't easy finding a rock with an indentation. "All right, I think we're good to go," he said proudly. Hearing a sound to his left, he turned to see Nom Nom approaching him, looking unsure of himself as he stared down at the bundle in his paws.

"Is…this okay?" he asked as he held up his findings, to which Grizz smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, dude, that's perfect!" he replied as he took the bark scrapings. "So…now comes the hard part." Setting the tinder aside, Grizz reached for the stick he had selected as his bow while simultaneously grabbing the cord he had fashioned out of the bark of a tree, which had been split down the middle after likely being struck by lightening. Nom Nom seated himself on the ground, observing his now worn down claws with a grimace. "Okay…so now I gotta tie the string to the bow," he heard Grizz murmur. Looking up, he saw the bear had the long, curved stick laying across his lap as he tried to attach the string to one end. Once he had the cord secured to the bow, he reached for the baseboard and unsheathed one of his claws. "Now I need to make a small impression in the baseboard for the spindle," he said as he began carving into the wood with his claw.

Nom Nom watched with bored, half-lidded eyes as Grizz walked him through each step of the tedious process, hardly caring _how_ it was done. The only thing that concerned him was whether or not it could produce a fire, and he had his doubts. Once Grizz had everything set up, he placed a foot on the baseboard and beared down on the spindle with the large stone as he began moving the bow back and forth. The spindle rotated swiftly, creating friction that Grizz could only hope would eventually lead to a spark.

"I don't see what's the point of doing this. I mean…if you can get the same results from rubbing two sticks together, then why didn't you just do that instead of wasting all that time putting that thing together?" Nom Nom asked.

"Well, I think you can create more friction doing it this way. Plus, it's just more fun to do it this way!"

"What's fun about it? You look like you're constipated."

Grizz only sighed.

Ten minutes went by, and then twenty, and then forty. Nom Nom eventually laid down on his side, yawning as he folded an arm beneath his head. Fatigue eventually caught up with him and he found himself nodding off. When he eventually opened his eyes again, he assumed he had only dozed off for about five minutes or so, as Grizz was still trying to get a flame going.

"Did I fall asleep?" he asked groggily.

"Yeah, for about twenty-five minutes," Grizz mumbled back to him, too focused on his task to even look up.

"Twenty-five minutes? So what, it's been like an hour now? And you _still_ haven't gotten anywhere?"

Grizz finally looked up at him. "Nom Nom, starting a fire without matches or a lighter can take a long time. At this point, I care more about having the satisfaction of knowing I _can_ make a fire than the actual fire itself. I mean, when my bros and I were lost in the woods, I felt useless. I didn't know much of anything. I never took the time to prepare. Even though I never planned to deliberately put ourselves in that situation again, I still wanted to learn how to do what I didn't know how to do before."

Nom Nom looked down, eyes widening as he noticed the tiniest wisp of white smoke.

"Um, Grizz?"

"I told myself that if we were ever in that kind of situation again, I was going to be prepared next time," the bear continued, eyes shifting towards the sky.

" _Grizz?"_

"Of course, wild bears don't typically make campfires, but..." Grizz added with a laugh.

"GRIZZ!"

"Huh? What?"

Nom Nom simply pointed down at the tinder pile. Looking down and seeing the small wisp of smoke billowing up into the air, Grizz nearly dropped the bow out of shock. "Oh my gosh!" he gasped excitedly.

"Blow on it!" Nom Nom shouted urgently.

"No, no, not yet. Just hang on a sec..."

Grizz increased his speed, watching intensely for the sign of a glowing ember, which he had yet to see. He paused momentarily to wipe the sweat from his forehead and quickly resumed, his heart pounding with excitement.

"There!"

Being as careful as possible, Grizz tilted the baseboard, allowing the glowing embers to slide through the notch he had carved and onto the tinder pile. He crouched down, blowing into the pile gently. His eyes widened with excitement and he felt himself begin to shake when he saw the embers glow brighter. Seconds later, Grizz was able to see the tiniest flame begin to take shape. Without hesitation, he reached towards the small pile of twigs he had managed to gather during his search, which weren't much thicker than toothpicks. "Okay…I'm gonna keep feeding this flame and try to make it bigger. While I'm doing this, why don't you try to find some decent kindling?"

Nom Nom didn't utter a word as he got to his feet and went to search for larger pieces of wood, which he found to be in abundance once he neared the edge of the forest. He gathered up as much as his tiny arms could carry and quickly made his way back, dropping the pile next to Grizz. "How much do we need?" he asked as he eyeballed the growing fire.

"There's really no way to know. I'd keep gathering as much as you can find."

It didn't take long for Grizz to use up all of the smaller twigs. Reaching towards the kindling, he aimed for the smallest pieces and began adding them to the growing fire carefully, his smile growing along with it.

After making about six trips back and forth, Nom Nom had finally had enough and called it quits, dropping his last load of kindling onto the pile before plopping down in front of the fire with a loud sigh. "I think that's more than enough." As he sat before the growing fire, he could feel the heat gradually begin to sweep across his face as the flames grew larger. Grizz did not break his concentration for a second, barely taking his eyes off the fire as he reached for more kindling.

After a few tense moments, Grizz finally looked towards Nom Nom, his face splitting into a wide, toothy grin.

Nom Nom leaned back slightly as he raised a brow, a bit put off by his companion's crazy looking smile. "What are you…?"

The bear suddenly jumped to his feet, cheering loudly as he raised his arms above his head in celebration. "I DID IT!" he shouted. "I AM A HARDCORE SURVIVALIST!" Overcome with joy, Grizz rushed over and scooped up a startled Nom Nom, who yelped in surprise as the bear spun him around and lightly tossed him up into the air before catching him again. "I can't believe it! I actually did it!"

"Okay, okay, you did it! Just put me down!"

Grizz grinned sheepishly, muttering a quick apology as he placed the koala down on the ground again. "Sorry, it's just….it's not often I succeed at something. I know it seems like a small thing, but I honestly didn't know if I could do it. Everything I try, I usually fail. It just felt good to succeed at something for once."

Nom Nom suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for spoiling the bear's fun. "Well…I admit, I had my doubts. I never would have thought you could pull off something like that. I certainly wouldn't have had the patience to do all that. Nice work."

Though the praise was incredibly simple, Grizz's eyes still lit up and his smile widened, almost looking as though he may cry. Seeing such an emotional response prompted Nom Nom to frown deeply. Just how starved for approval and acceptance _was_ this bear?

"Well, I'm gonna try my luck at catching another fish! Could you keep an eye on the fire for me?"

"Yeah…sure."

ooooooo

The sun had finally disappeared behind the mountains, though a soft, pink hue still lingered on the horizon. The two animals vaguely considered the fact that they shouldn't have lingered so long, Nom Nom more so than Grizz. The koala hadn't been too sure what Grizz had meant when he had said he wanted to stay 'a little longer', but it was definitely too late for them to travel now. He still held firm to the belief that staying where they were wasn't the wisest option, though he wasn't quite as firm in his insistence to keep going. He was tired, and his legs were sore, and as odd as it was for him to admit, it was actually somewhat relaxing to just sit by the fire and have a casual conversation with someone, without distractions.

Grizz had quite a few interesting stories to tell, he had to admit. He never would have painted the bear as being that interesting, but he had managed to hold his attention much longer than anyone ever had when telling a story. Some of his tales were a bit hard to believe, such as the story he told of the time he and his brothers had found a jean jacket which, according to him, had possessed some kind of supernatural power. He was almost certain the bear was pulling his leg on that one, but at least the story had been entertaining.

Now Grizz was onto a new story, and Nom Nom was finding it harder and harder to keep himself from laughing.

"Are you being serious with me right now?" he asked.

"Dead serious," Grizz replied with a grin.

"But…But it's a _burrito!"_ the koala laughed.

"I know, I know, it's crazy, but I'm telling you, I was totally obsessed. Something about it just made me feel…happy."

"Well, yeah, but…treating it like a living thing? Taking it to the movies? Geez, did you kiss it goodnight, too?"

"…Yeah."

Grizz sighed as he watched Nom Nom roll right off the log he was sitting on, laughing loudly. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about it," the bear sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nom Nom gasped as he managed to hoist himself back atop the log. "Sorry," he repeated, clutching his stomach as he took a deep breath. "I just…wow."

"It was stupid, okay? I get it. I cringe every time I look back on it. Look, let's just talk about a new topic, okay?" Grizz narrowed his eyes as he noticed Nom Nom biting his lip. "Unless _someone_ has a few more chuckles they wanna get out of their system first?" he quipped.

"Nope, I'm good," the koala responded, unable to stifle a snort.

Grizz rolled his eyes as he picked up a long stick he had found and began poking at the fire. "Why don't we talk about the Let's Play videos?"

"What about 'em?"

"Well…did you still wanna help me with them? You know…once we get out of this mess?"

"I still don't see why you need me to do it."

"It's not that I _need_ you. I just want your feedback, that's all. And I'd still like us to do a joint video. I mean, you play video games, don't you?"

"Eh…not really, no. I've played a few online games, but I don't think I've ever so much as picked up a controller in my life."

"What? Seriously? Well, we'll have to change that! You can come over to the cave and I can properly introduce you to the wonderful world of gaming! You'll love it!" Noticing the conflicting look on Nom Nom's face, Grizz's smile fell slightly. "Unless…you don't want to, that is? Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was pushing-"

"No, it's just…I'm still a little surprised, that's all. I'm just amazed you were able to get past that whole incident that happened a few weeks ago so easily. I've been trying to wrap my head around it for days."

The smile quickly faded from Grizz's face. "What'd you mean?" he asked, looking at Nom Nom quizzically.

"Well, you know…the whole thing that happened with the video…and the sharks. I just…didn't figure you'd get over that so easily," the koala responded with a shrug.

The bear couldn't have looked more confused now. "What are you getting at, Nom Nom? Get over _what_? What are you saying?"

Nom Nom's eyes widened slightly as his heart dropped into his stomach. "Uh…n-nothing. It's nothing," he uttered quickly. He turned away to stare into the crackling fire, while Grizz's gaze became slightly more suspicious.

"No, I wanna know!" he pressed. "Tell me!"

Nom Nom looked his way again, wringing his paws nervously. "The movie we were shooting…it…was a stunt I had set up to…to make me a hero. _I_ put the sharks in that pool. I was supposed to rescue you…and then people would film it and post the video online, and…I'd be in everyone's good graces again." Nom Nom couldn't even bring himself to look Grizz in the eye as he finished his sentence.

"You…You deliberately put me and my bro in danger so that _you_ could look like a hero?"

"I swear, I thought you already knew. I thought your other brother told you about it. He found out about my plans the night before, and…I sort of…trapped him in a hole so he couldn't interfere with anything." Nom Nom shut his eyes and braced himself the moment the words left his mouth. He didn't need to look; he could practically _feel_ the bear's glaring eyes boring into him right now.

"You did _what?!"_ Grizz shouted, rising to his feet. "I can't believe you! How could you do that?!"

Nom Nom shrunk back, fearing the bear may actually attack him. "It was stupid, okay? I got carried away with everything! I was just…I was desperate! I didn't know what else to do, and…I don't know what I was thinking. I _wasn't_ thinking." He looked at Grizz pleadingly, knowing his words could hardly be considered a defense. Surprisingly, the bear closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath before sitting back down.

"It's…It's in the past," he stated calmly, poking the fire with the stick again. "Let's just move on and try to forget it."

Nom Nom could only stare at the bear in astonishment as he continued poking at the fire, a fixed frown on his face. Despite what he had just said, it was clear to see his anger still lingered, adding to the tension that hung heavily in the air. The marsupial lowered his gaze back to the fire, a lump in his throat. He flinched slightly as he noticed Grizz poke rather aggressively at the fire, causing one of the logs to shift and send embers scattering into the air. He began to sweat, feeling the bear's anger practically radiating off of his body. He knew his composure wouldn't last. Any second now…

 _SNAP!_

The sound of Grizz breaking the long stick in two prompted Nom Nom to jump in surprise. He shielded his face as the bear rose to his feet and angrily threw the pieces into the fire, causing more embers to rise up and sweep across his face. "NO!" Grizz shouted angrily. "No, I'm not going to let this go! I've got a lot to say!"

Nom Nom winced, preparing for the worst.

"I'll start at the very beginning when we first met! I came to you because I thought you were cool and that maybe you could help me! Maybe I was just another blithering fan to you, but I looked up to you! All I ever did was admire you and think you were cool, and then you just throw me out of your limo like I was a nuisance! But you know what? I was willing to look past that when you came to me for help! I welcomed you into my home with open arms because I felt sorry for you, and I wanted to help! No matter how badly someone might have treated me, I never wanted to see them get hurt or to be sad. I always think about how it'd make _me_ feel, and I just can't wish that on anyone! But even after all that…you still thought so little of me that you were willing to risk my safety for your own selfish needs! And that's not even the worst of it! You also put my baby brother in danger! I just...I've never met anyone so selfish in my life! You are just… _AWFUL_!"

Grizz exhaled loudly, plopping back down on the ground as he continued glaring at the koala.

Nom Nom opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to think of something to say in his own defense, but he knew there were simply no words. There was absolutely nothing he could possibly say to excuse what he had done.

"Well?" he heard Grizz growl at him and he finally looked his way, almost feeling himself shrink under his angry gaze. "Do you have anything to say?"

Nom Nom lowered his head as he turned back to stare into the fire. "No," he said softly. He expected Grizz to continue with his rant, but he was met with tense silence. He saw the bear get up to go find another stick out of the corner of his eye, but he never uttered a word. His anxiety only grew as the silent minutes dragged on. It eventually became too much for him, and the koala found himself leaving the warm glow of the fire and seeking refuge in the shadows just a few feet away. He could feel Grizz's curious gaze on his back as he got up to leave, but he didn't dare turn around to look at him. He never once asked him where he was going, and he was grateful for that. He just needed to be alone now, and it was clear the bear didn't care to be around him at that moment, anyway.

Finding a spot under a tree, Nom Nom curled up on the ground and pulled his legs to his chest, his mind a buzzing hive of thoughts. He could feel his eyes welling with tears, and he had to wonder whether it was because he felt genuine guilt for his actions, or if it was simply because he had been chastised so harshly, something he wasn't used to, at least not in person. Perhaps it was both. Criticism was easy for him to brush off when it was simply words on a computer screen. Comments could be screened, and accounts could be blocked, but this wasn't the internet. Nom Nom could _hear_ the anger in Grizz's words, he could _see_ the pain in his eyes. Words had a far greater impact when they weren't being read off a screen, and even more so when they came from someone whose opinion actually mattered.

Nom Nom grit his teeth and wiped at his eyes. _No…No, I don't care about him. I don't care what he has to say. I don't…_ He slowly looked up, staring out into the darkness as he tried to wrap his head around what he was even feeling right now and why. He felt more tears gather at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't make an effort to wipe them away this time as they slowly rolled down his cheeks. He finally accepted his guilt for what it was and buried his face in his arms, his hot tears soaking into his fur.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! I'm sorry today's update didn't end on a more cheerful note, but...we all knew things would start getting serious.

I really don't know how believable it would be for Grizz to snap at someone the way he did here, but this is something I'd really love to see in canon tbh. I'd really love for him to just chew Nom Nom out for what he did to where it actually leaves an impact and makes him think about his actions.


	5. Rescue

**Chapter V:** Rescue

Nom Nom woke feeling groggy and unrested. When the fog finally cleared from his head, the memory of last night's events reentered his mind and nearly deflated his motivation to simply get up and move. It was ultimately thirst which drove him to finally stagger to his feet and shuffle his way towards the edge of the forest. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to see if Grizz was still sleeping, finding the bear lying on his side with his back facing him. He continued on into the forest, making his way towards the river.

The rushing sound of the river was somewhat soothing to his nerves and helped to drown out his loud inner thoughts. Cautiously approaching the edge, he sought out a small pool nestled between the large rocks and crouched down to dip his head into the icy water to drink his fill. He withdrew his head seconds later with a loud gasp, feeling slightly more energized after having his head submerged in the frigid water. He shook his head to rid himself of excess water, his ears flapping lightly. He sat back on his rump with a sigh, tapping a claw against his leg as he contemplated how he was going to approach Grizz after last night. He honestly didn't think he'd be able to look him in the eye ever again, but he knew they would have to reach _some_ level of agreement if they were going to get out of this predicament.

Nom Nom's ears perked as he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned to see Grizz heading his way, shoulders slumped and gaze cast downward. Nom Nom sighed as he turned to face the front again, his anxiousness flaring up.

"Here you are," Grizz remarked quietly, his tone neither angry or happy. He plopped down next to the koala and dipped his paws into the icy water, splashing his face to wake himself up. Nom Nom couldn't bring himself to even look at him. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Grizz asked as he glanced his way, water dripping from his muzzle.

"Not really," the smaller animal murmured.

"Yeah…me, neither." Grizz cupped his paws under the water and leaned forward slightly to take a drink. He clicked his tongue and glanced at the koala, who practically had his back to him at this point. His entire demeanor radiated unease. "Uh…listen….I'm…I'm really sorry I lost my cool last night. I kinda let my temper get the better of me."

Nom Nom finally looked at him now, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't believe this… _You're_ apologizing? After everything I did to you, _you're_ apologizing for getting angry about it?"

Grizz shifted around awkwardly. "Look, I just…I don't like getting angry, okay? I don't like yelling at people and hurting their feelings."

"Even if they hurt _you_?"

Grizz looked down at his paws. "I never feel good about it. It never solves anything for me. It never makes me feel better."

"That's your problem; you never get angry enough." Nom Nom paused and sighed. " _My_ problem is I get angry too much."

Grizz smiled crookedly. "Well…I guess we sorta even each other out then, huh?"

Nom Nom laughed weakly. "I suppose." There was a momentary silence as the two animals stared out over the river. "Look…you said what needed to be said. You shouldn't be the one apologizing." The koala averted his gaze before softly adding, " _I_ should."

Grizz stared at him silently for a brief moment before replying, "I just want to know why, Nom Nom _._ Hurting me is one thing…but when you bring my family into it…I just can't look over that! Just…. _why_?"

Nom Nom sighed again, drawing his knees closer to his chest. "I don't know, okay? I don't _know!_ I don't know why it was so important to me. Just the thought of losing everything I had…I couldn't fathom it. It just scared me. I guess the question I should be asking _myself_ is why would I want to hold on to something that seems to bring me more frustration than joy. It's become such a chore these days. I don't get why _you_ want it so badly."

A look of surprise came to Grizz's face. "I thought you loved all the fame and fortune?"

"I do… _sometimes_...but it's a double-edged sword. There's a downside to it that people never consider when they enter that lifestyle. You spend your entire life under a microscope, with the eye of the world looking down on you and searching for every little imperfection. And if you mess up, you never hear the end of it.

"Yeah, but…. _you_ bounced back after that whole meltdown."

"You really think that?" Nom Nom laughed. "I got my job back, yes, but I'm _still_ doing damage control weeks later, and I predict I'll still be doing damage control months from now…and probably a year from now. Don't you see? It never ends. People never forget, and they won't let _you_ forget, either. Do you know how many subscribers I lost on my channel? Over six thousand. People kept telling me it's not a big deal, that it was just a drop in the bucket compared to the total number I had, but…it's not just a number. Imagine yourself standing before a crowd of six thousand people…and they all hated you. Every single one. They all thought you were scum. How would that make you feel?"

"Lousy," Grizz mumbled as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "I'd probably want to curl up in a ball and cry."

Nom Nom's face softened slightly. "So why put yourself through that? Is being internet famous really worth all that? I mean, maybe you wouldn't do something as stupid as what I did, but it's pretty easy to say one little thing and have everyone either take it out of context or blow it out of proportion. It can happen to _anyone._ Even someone nice like yourself."

"But…it's not that I want to just be famous for the sake of being famous. What I want more than anything is to just make friends."

Nom Nom raised a brow. "Friends?"

Grizz's face suddenly brightened. "Well, _yeah._ It's all I've ever wanted.I love meeting new people and hanging out with them. I'm just…not that great at making a connection. I come on a little strong sometimes. It's probably my greatest weakness."

"Grizz….you can't be friends with your followers. It just doesn't work that way."

"What? Why not?"

"You just _can't_. How are you supposed to form a close connection to millions of people? Or even thousands? There's no way you can do that."

"But…But I can go to conventions like you and meet people!"

Nom Nom sighed, shaking his head. "Grizz, it's not just the sheer number of people that makes it impossible…it's how those people _see_ you. They see you differently because you're a celebrity, and for some people, associating with you makes them feel important. They achieve fame through that association. Plus there's always the threat of fans being creepy stalkers. You just can't have the same kind of relationship with fans that you can when you aren't famous."

"So what, you're saying everyone will just use and abuse me?"

"Not everyone, but you just don't know who you can trust. It's best to keep your fans at arm's length. If it's friends you're interested in making, you might want to consider an alternative."

Grizz was quiet for a moment, Nom Nom's words weighing heavily on his mind. "So…what does that make us, then?" he asked, a tone of sadness in his voice. "Are _we_ friends?"

The question momentarily caught the koala off guard. He felt inclined to ask the bear why he'd even _want_ to still be friends with him after his horrible actions, but he couldn't say he was surprised by Grizz's willingness to look past it. It had been clear from the beginning that the bear was not the type to hold a grudge, even if most would agree it was perfectly justified. It just wasn't in his nature. He was compassionate and kind-hearted and was always willing to see the good in people. It was a quality not too many people had, and one that was often taken advantage of.

"Nom Nom?"

"I…uh…"

A loud splash suddenly caught both their attention, prompting them to look towards the river. "Woah…I think that was a fish!" Grizz exclaimed excitedly as he jumped to his feet and started making his way down the length of the river, eyeballing the large rocks that were situated a few feet out from the bank.

"Wait, what're you doing?" Nom Nom asked as he got up to follow.

"I'm starving!" the bear replied, extending his arms outward to keep himself balanced as he stepped out onto one of the boulders.

"Are you crazy?! That fish is probably long gone by now!"

"Yeah, but another one might come along! I'm not missing out!"

Grizz mentally counted to three before jumping to the next rock, which was slightly damp. His foot slid forward slightly upon landing, and he quickly planted his front paws down on the rock to catch himself.

"Grizz, get back here!" he heard Nom Nom calling to him frantically.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" he called back, waving him off. Squinting his eyes, he peered out over the fast-moving water in search of another fish. He could still vaguely hear Nom Nom shouting at him.

"This is nuts! Get back here before you fall off!"

Grizz held up a paw to the koala, his intense gaze still focused on the water. "Just hold on." Noticing a shadow gradually moving towards him, he grinned with excitement. "Got it! Got it!" he cheered as he rushed to jump onto the next rock, too overcome with excitement to even notice how wet it was. His foot immediately slipped upon touching it, causing him to fall back and land roughly against the rock before rolling into the icy water.

"GRIZZ!"

Grizz coughed and spat water from his mouth as he tried to keep his head above the surface. While the water was only about two feet deep, the fast-moving current made it impossible for the bear to get his footing. Every attempt he made at standing resulted in his feet being knocked out from under him by the current. He flailed and kicked, gulping water as he was continuously pulled under. He could feel his body bumping roughly against more rocks, and he immediately started grabbing for them. He unsheathed his claws, desperately seeking purchase, but so many of the rocks were wet and smooth, making them difficult to hold on to.

Nom Nom had immediately taken off in a mad sprint along the length of the river the moment he saw Grizz go in. His short, stubby legs did not allow for him to move fast enough, and Grizz was getting further away by the second. It also didn't help that the koala was constantly tripping over exposed roots or slipping on rocks, as he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, too focused on keeping the bear in his sights as he ran along the river. He eventually lost sight of the bear completely, and he felt his blood chill in his veins. "You idiot!" he shouted as he pushed himself to run faster, his heart ready to burst from the exertions. He finally managed to locate him again, finding him clinging to a large rock as water pushed against him with great force.

"Grizz!"

The bear looked his way, terror in his eyes. He cried out in panic as he lost his grip of the rock and was swiftly carried further down the river, though he managed to get a firm grip on another rock as his body slammed against it. Nom Nom placed his paws to his head, tightly clutching tufts of fur in frustration as he tried to think of some way to rescue the bear. He shifted his gaze away from Grizz and looked ahead of him, quickly taking notice of a large tree at the bank of the river about thirty feet away, one of its long branches extended several feet over the water. It looked like it could easily support his weight and more. Nom Nom quickly looked back to Grizz, who was struggling to maintain his grip on the wet boulder. "Just hang on!" he shouted to him before bolting for the tree.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Grizz shouted back.

Nom Nom leapt onto the tree and began shimmying up the trunk. After sizing up one of the thinner branches, he took a firm grip on it and bent it back with as much strength as he could muster until he heard the wood splinter and snap. Taking the branch in both paws, he began carefully making his way out over the rushing water, using the broken branch as a balancing pole to keep him steady. He made it about halfway across the branch before he paused to look towards Grizz, pleased to see that he was positioned almost perfectly.

Narrowing his eyes, Nom Nom took a firm hold of the thicker end of the disconnected tree branch while he crouched down to grab the one he was standing on. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to drop down, his feet dangling just a few feet above the rushing water. "Grizz!" he shouted over the loud rush of the river. "Let go of the rock!"

Grizz looked back at him. "WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"I said let go of the rock! Let go and swim towards me!"

"I can't!"

"YES, YOU CAN!"

"What if I miss?!"

"DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! JUST LET GO!"

The bear hesitated for a moment before finally loosening his grip, allowing the water to push him off the rock. Nom Nom felt a surge of apprehension as he saw Grizz drifting towards him, knowing he only had one shot. He tightened his grip on both the branch he was suspended from and the one he had extended towards the approaching bear, hoping they would both be able to support the larger animal's weight.

"Grab on!"

Grizz reached for the branch that was offered to him, grabbing it with both paws in a vice grip. Nom Nom promptly tightened his grip on the branch above him the moment he felt Grizz latch on. His weight, coupled with the added force of the water pushing against him caused the branch to bend dramatically. Nom Nom couldn't be sure if it could withstand the intense strain, nor was he sure he'd even be able to hold on to it. He grit his teeth in pain as he felt the bark tearing into the pads of his paw.

"All right, listen up, dumb dumb! I can't pull you up! You're gonna have to pull yourself up, understand?!" he shouted urgently.

The bear met his gaze with wide, fearful eyes, expressing clear doubt in his abilities, but Nom Nom was quick to put that doubt to rest.

"EITHER YOU PULL YOURSELF UP OR WE BOTH GO IN! I CAN'T KEEP HOLDING ON LIKE THIS!"

Eyes narrowing in determination, Grizz took a firm grip of the tree branch and slowly began to pull himself up, inching his way up the length of the branch. Nom Nom winced, as each tug threatened the hold he had on the branch above him. He focused every ounce of strength he had into keeping that grip locked.

Keeping a hold of the branch with one paw, Grizz reached with his other as far as he could, his fingers just inches from the larger branch above. Grunting loudly, he pulled back slightly and then lunged, his paw grabbing a hold of the branch tightly. Nom Nom heaved a heavy sigh, loosening his grip on the broken branch and allowing it to fall into the river. The two animals briefly locked gazes as they dangled from the tree, their hearts still racing from the ordeal.

Nom Nom was the first to move. He pulled himself up to where he was standing atop the branch and carefully made his way across, his arms extended outward for balance. Grizz remained in his suspended position, swinging his way across much like a child on a set of monkey bars. He slid down the trunk and rejoined the koala on dry land, his legs giving out just seconds after touching the ground. He looked towards Nom Nom, noticing him glaring.

"Don't say it," he said softly.

"What? You mean, 'I told you so'?"

Grizz looked down shamefully, feeling like a small child being scolded by his parent.

"I told you not to do it!"

Seeing that the bear looked close to tears, Nom Nom ceased his scolding and sighed heavily. "Look…forget it. We're alive; that's all that matters." He lifted a paw and rubbed his now sore shoulder, rotating his arm around a few times.

"I can't believe you were able to hold on like that. I never would have imagined you to be that strong. No offense."

"Yeah, well…they say you gain the strength of ten men when you're in a life or death situation. I guess I know that to be true now. Although it felt like my arm was being pulled out of its socket," he added as he continued rubbing his shoulder.

Grizz slowly looked down, still trembling slightly. "I owe you," he said hoarsely.

"No, you don't," Nom Nom replied as he got to his feet.

"Of course I do! I mean, you could have died trying to save me!"

"You don't owe me anything," Nom Nom reaffirmed sternly as he turned and held up a paw to the bear's face. "You saved _me_ , remember? If it hadn't been for you, I would have been a snack for the wolves."

Grizz frowned, rubbing his arm. "Yeah, but…it's because of me that we're lost."

The koala shrugged. "I'd rather be lost than be dog chow. Besides….my stupid actions nearly got you killed, remember? You don't owe me, now just shut up about it."

Grizz only nodded. He managed to stumble to his feet, though he still felt unsteady.

"That doesn't look too good," Nom Nom said as he pointed towards Grizz's paw. Confused, the bear lifted his left paw and noticed a rather large gash that was still bleeding.

"Oh…geez, I didn't even notice that. That must of happened when I first fell in. I landed on my paw pretty hard." He cradled his injured paw against his chest and covered the wound with his other paw. "It's not so bad," he assured, though now that he acknowledge his injury, the pain was finally starting to make itself known. "Maybe we should keep moving. I don't think anyone's looking for us out here, anyway."

"Probably not."

Without another word, the pair began slowly trudging their way back through the woods.

ooooooo

The hours slowly crept along as the two animals continued traversing through the forest, occasionally stopping to rest. The two shared very little dialogue, too tired to even carry a conversation beyond a few words. By the late afternoon, the pair took notice of the dark clouds beginning to loom overhead, causing the forest around them to darken slightly. Nom Nom looked up through the trees as he felt a single raindrop strike the top of his head. "I should have known the weather would turn ugly before we found our way home," he growled with disdain.

Grizz stopped suddenly, causing the koala to bump into him. "Wait…I think I know where we are."

"Are you sure about that?" Nom Nom quipped skeptically.

"No, I mean it this time."

Nom Nom watched the bear curiously as he began looking in different directions, his gaze hard and focussed. Without warning, he suddenly broke off in a random direction at a fast pace.

"Woah, wait!" Nom Nom called to him as he rushed to catch up. "Why are we going this way now?"

"Something's telling me to go this way!" Grizz shouted back to him as he ducked to avoid being smacked in the face by low hanging branches. He came into a clearing and stopped abruptly, allowing the koala to finally catch up. His gaze focused on a little cave just twenty feet ahead of him, its opening partially covered by by thin vines that were suspended from the rock wall surrounding it. He slowly stepped towards it, feeling a great sense of familiarity.

"Why are we stopping _here_?" Nom Nom asked him, but the question didn't register with the bear, who pushed his way past the vines and stepped inside the dark cave. He ran a paw along the cold walls, feeling a strange sense of comfort as he took in every detail of the quaint little cave. _I've been here. I know I've been here._ He made his way towards the very back of the cave, which didn't extend very far. As he turned to lean back against the cold, jagged wall, he looked towards the opening of the cave and immediately stiffened when saw what he swore was another bear curled up on the ground with a tiny furry bundle nestled beside it.

Grizz shook his head and lifted a paw to rub at his eyes. When he finally looked up again, he saw that the bear was gone. He would have dismissed the strange vision as just a product of being tired and fatigued if it wasn't for the fact that this wasn't the first time he had had these visions. The first time was odd enough, but having it happen again only made him more determined to get to the bottom of what was triggering them.

Grizz pushed himself off the wall and exited the cave, ignoring the rain as it gradually began to fall at a heavier rate. He turned to his companion as he heard him calling his name repeatedly.

"Grizz, what's up with you?"

Grizz didn't respond, turning away to look off in another direction, which only frustrated the koala further.

"Will you quit ignoring me?!" he snapped. "Why are you acting weird? Wait, _now_ where're you going?! Grizz!" Nom Nom rushed to catch up as the larger animal took off hastily once again.

"I've been here before!" Grizz called back to him.

"You keep saying that! Where is _here?!_ "

"I'm trying to figure that out!"

Nom Nom stumbled and fell as he struggled to keep up with the bear's pace. He cursed under his breath as he hastily got back to his feet again, shouting for Grizz to wait for him. The bear was almost out of sight, which put Nom Nom in a slight panic. "Grizz, I swear, don't make me regret saving your sorry hide! _GRIZZ!_ "

After pushing his way through some thick underbrush, Nom Nom stopped abruptly, finding Grizz standing eerily still at the edge of the forest, his back facing him. He arched a brow curiously. "Grizz?"

No response.

Becoming concerned, Nom Nom slowly shuffled his way towards the bear, moving to stand directly beside him. "Grizz?" he called to him again quietly, but he didn't so much as flinch. "Grizz, what's the matter?" Still, he did not receive an answer. Turning his head, he followed Grizz's gaze out into the clearing, where his eyes settled on a tall, scraggly looking evergreen tree.

The rain came down much harder now, and a low rumble of thunder sounded from above.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Aww shit. _Awwwww shiiiiiit._ *cough* Anyway...Happy New Year, everyone!


	6. Remembrances

**Chapter VI:** Remembrances

"Grizz? _Grizz?"_

Grizz paid little mind to the rain as he stepped out from the cover of the trees and into the clearing, making his way towards the tree.

"Seriously?! You're seriously doing this right now?!" Nom Nom shouted as he begrudgingly followed after the bear, wincing as the heavy rain pelted the top of his head. "Have you finally lost your mind?!"

Ignoring Nom Nom's angry shouting, Grizz continued forward, craning his neck as he gazed up at the tall evergreen tree that stood in the middle of the clearing. There was something about the tree that was not only familiar to him, but it also made him feel heavy with fear and apprehension. He placed a paw against the trunk as he searched the deepest depths of his memories for some sort of explanation for this tree's significance.

"Grizz?!" Nom Nom called to him again as he came to stand directly beside the bear, who finally managed to break free of his momentary daze and glanced down at the soaked koala. "What is wrong with you?"

Grizz glanced back up at the tree and then down at Nom Nom again. "I've seen this tree before."

Nom Nom sighed irritably. "Look, I think the lack of protein is finally getting to you. You're probably deranged now."

Grizz turned to him sharply. "I've dreamt about this place!" he snapped. "Something important happened here, okay?! Something I've blocked out of my mind that I can't remember! Or…that I don't _want_ to remember."

The rain began to lighten, though the thunder still rumbled overhead. Nom Nom hugged himself as the wind swept across his small frame.

"What are we supposed to do? Stand out here in the rain and wait for you to remember?"

Grizz continued staring up at the tree as his frustration mounted. There was a quick flash that lit up the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder, but the bear was not deterred as he took a step towards the tree and carefully began to climb, momentarily dismissing his fear of getting stuck. If it would help trigger some sort of memory from his past, he was willing to do it.

"What are you _doing_?!"

"I have to figure this out!"

Grizz shimmied his way up the trunk, tightly grasping the first branch within reach and pulling himself up. He tested its strength before putting his full weight on it. "I've been in this tree!" he shouted down to Nom Nom, who was looking back up at him, a paw held above his face to shield his eyes from the rain. "It was a long time ago, but I was here…I was _put_ here!"

"By who?!"

Grizz shifted his gaze towards the top of the tree, brows furrowing. He continued making his way up, wincing as the strong gusts of wind and rain stung his eyes. "That's what I'm trying to remember," he muttered. "I think…"

"Grizz, this is nuts! How many dangerous stunts are you willing to pull in a twenty-four hour cycle?! I'm not saving your butt this time! Do you hear me?!"

Grizz once again ignored the koala's angry shouts as he continued to climb higher. He paused momentarily, sparing a quick, fearful glance at the ground below. A bright flash of light and a loud clap of thunder prompted him to squeeze his eyes shut and latch onto the tree tightly. Images of bright flashing lights and humans in yellow coats suddenly flashed before his mind, and it was then that everything slowly began to piece itself together. He could hear his younger self wailing loudly as he clung desperately to the tree, cold rain drenching him as thunder sounded overheard. He could vaguely recall the face of a human, his features not quite clear, but he remembered his soothing voice. _Grab on. You're safe now._

Everything came rushing back to him like a powerful torrent of water, making him wish he had just ignored his curiosity and continued living in ignorant bliss.

"Grizz?!" Nom Nom continued calling to the bear, not understanding why he had grown so still and silent.

Grizz sighed heavily as he slowly and carefully began making his way back down. He kept his back to the koala as his feet touched the soggy ground. "I remember," he mumbled, resting his head against the trunk.

"Remember what?"

"Everything."

Nom Nom started to reply but immediately stopped himself, waiting for Grizz to elaborate.

"My mom put me here. She put me in this tree."

"Why?"

The bear paused for a moment, staring listlessly at the ground.

"….We were running from something. I never saw what it was, though. And I remember it had started storming really bad." Grizz let out a shaky breath. He lifted his head and looked towards the forest. "After she left me here, she disappeared through those trees. She said she'd come back." Grizz could feel a lump forming in his throat. "Not long after she left…I heard a loud noise. It sounded like thunder….I _thought_ it was thunder."

Nom Nom became very still and silent as the grim realization set in, and it became very clear that it had set in for Grizz as well, so there was no sense in being cruel by making the bear clarify. Being foreign to such tragic topics, he was completely at a loss. He wanted to say something, but he knew there was nothing of substance he _could_ say to something like this. Nothing at all.

"I waited…and waited, but she never came back…so I started calling for her. I _screamed!_ But nothing." Grizz paused to look up at the tree again. "I can't really remember who it was that found me. It might have been a pair of hikers who probably got caught up in the storm and were trying to get back to town. I just remember all the lights and sirens…and then there was the man who pulled me out of the tree. I didn't really look at his face…I just remember clutching onto his arm and never wanting to let go. For the first time that night…I felt safe." Grizz took a slow step back before lowering himself to the ground. The rain had finally started to let up.

Not knowing what else to do, Nom Nom slowly approached the bear and sat down directly beside him, hardly caring about the mud staining his fur. His gaze shifted between Grizz and the tree as he struggled to find something meaningful to say.

Grizz chuckled softly. "Now I understand why I became so attached to that burrito," he whispered. There was another painfully long pause, which was succeeded by a tired sigh from Grizz. "I understand _a lot_ of things now, actually. Everything felt so familiar to me because…it was my home. That cave we found was where my mom and I slept…and that pond was where we'd sometimes go to play. This whole _forest_ was my home. I guess I kinda always knew that, but… I just never gave it much thought." Grizz heaved another sigh. "Look…thanks for listening…and for putting up with my momentary craziness."

Not hearing a response from the koala, Grizz glanced his way, noticing that he was staring up at the tree, looking absolutely shaken. "Hey…are you gonna be okay?" he asked.

Nom Nom looked over at him with a stunned gape, unbelieving that the bear would be so much more concerned for his emotional state than his own. "Are _you_?"

Grizz looked down at his paws. "I think so," he said, though there was uncertainty in his voice. "Clearly this has haunted me all my life. Now I can finally put it to rest." The bear hugged himself as he shivered. "C'mon…let's get out of the rain."

ooooooo

The two animals had taken shelter under a large cypress tree, where they sat and watched the storm slowly begin to dissipate. All around them, birds and small mammals finally started to emerge from their shelters to forage for food. Nom Nom occasionally stuck his paw out from beneath the cover of the thick branches to feel how heavy the rain was. Thankfully, it had decreased to a light drizzle, and the sky was beginning to lighten as the dark clouds moved onward. A thought suddenly occurred to the koala, and he looked back at his companion.

"Hey…you said the fire department came and got you down from that tree, right?" he asked as gently as he could. He hated having to bring the topic up again.

"Yeah?"

"Well, we must be pretty close to home, then. I mean, if they were able to get up here so easily, then maybe we can just follow this clearing straight back to the city."

Grizz raised his brows curiously as he watched Nom Nom step out from under the tree. "What're you doing?"

"I'm just gonna have a look."

Nom Nom hastily made his way over to the tree and immediately started climbing, hoping his suspicions were true. As he neared the top of the tree, he spared a quick glance at the ground and immediately held onto the tree a little bit tighter. As he came within just two feet of the very top of the tree, he looked out over the horizon and almost started laughing manically as he laid eyes on the city skyline. "Grizz!" he shouted as he started making his way back down. "Grizz, I see it! I see the city! I see the- _WOAH_!" Nom Nom caught himself as he felt his foot slip against the moist bark. "I see it! I see it!" he continued cheering.

Grizz rushed out from underneath the cypress tree, meeting the koala at the base of the tree as he finally touched back down to the ground. "Really? Is it close?" he asked hopefully. Nom Nom's face fell slightly as he turned to meet him.

"Well…not exactly. It's not a ten minute walk, that's for sure."

Grizz's shoulders slumped. "How far, then?"

"I don't know…It'd probably take us three…maybe four hours to get there on foot once you add in all the stops along the way."

"That long? Really?"

Nom Nom looked at Grizz seriously. "What'd you wanna do? I mean…it's getting kinda late already, so it's not likely we'll make it there before dark."

"What'd _you_ wanna do? I think you wanna get out of this mess even more than I do."

Nom Nom shrugged. "Maybe…but you look like you're about to collapse, and I'm pretty tired myself. We're running on next to no sleep as it is. I don't think waiting one more day is going to hurt. We can start fresh in the morning."

Grizz nodded slowly. "Yeah…I guess."

ooooooo

Grizz awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of an empty stomach. He had felt hungry all day, but it was becoming harder to ignore.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, the bear opened his mouth in a wide yawn. He looked down and noticed Nom Nom sleeping beside him, a small pile of cypress branches nestled beneath him. It was still fairly light, so Grizz knew he probably hadn't slept more than a half hour.

Slowly and quietly, Grizz crawled out from underneath the tree, making sure not to wake the slumbering koala. Looking upwards, he noticed the sky was a vibrant pink and almost completely vacant of clouds. The rain had left a mild chill in the air, though Grizz didn't seem to mind it. He knew within another hour it would likely be completely dark. He decided to take advantage of the last few moments of daylight he had and go forage for something to eat. He turned and headed back into the woods, making a mark on each of the trees he passed so he could easily find his way back. He only walked about ten yards or so before he came to another clearing, where he came upon a small river, this one was much calmer than the one he had had the misfortune of getting swept away in this morning.

Grizz picked up his pace and quickly made his way over to the edge of the river, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was. He gulped as much water as he could stomach, hoping it would help curb his hunger. He then splashed the cool water onto his face and began scrubbing at his fur, groaning tiredly into his paws. As he let his paws slide down his face, his gaze shifted to his reflection in the water, and he immediately became horrified to see that the reflection was not his own. Though it looked like him, the bear he saw staring back at him looked feral and downright frightening. He gasped and shook his head, certain his fatigue was affecting his vision. Looking down at his reflection again, he was relieved to see his own face reflecting back to him, but he still felt uneasy. Hearing his stomach growl again only furthered his anxiety.

Grizz sighed and lifted his head, his eyes widening as he saw what looked to be a taco stand on the other side of the river, about twenty feet away. Lifting a paw, the bear slapped himself across the face and looked again, finding a tall pine tree in the spot he had seen the taco stand. _Great, now I'm hallucinating._ Bringing his face down to the water once again, Grizz took another long drink.

"I was wondering where you went," he heard a groggy voice call to him. Wiping his snout, Grizz glanced over his shoulder to see Nom Nom shuffling his way towards him. "I must not have been asleep that long if it's still daylight."

Taking a closer look at the koala's face, it was clear to see how exhausted he was. Grizz could see bags beginning to form under his eyes, and his unkempt fur only added to his weary appearance. He quickly looked away before giving Nom Nom the chance to notice him staring.

"Are you…holding up?"

The question forced Grizz to look his way again. It was obvious he was uneasy about bringing up the subject again. Offering words of comfort had never been Nom Nom's forte, clearly.

"I'm okay, I guess. Although now I really want a taco," Grizz muttered in reply, receiving a confused look from the koala.

"Are you satisfied? I mean…are you glad you know what happened?"

Grizz gave it some thought. "I don't know. Not knowing where I came from or who my family was has kinda always been at the back of my mind. I didn't think about it all the time, but it was usually something I would think about late at night when I was having trouble sleeping. I thought knowing the truth was always best, though I never put much effort into finding out. But honestly, knowing what I know now…I feel like I was better off not ever knowing. I mean, it's not like my life was impacted by _not_ knowing. My life's pretty great now. I got my bros to keep me happy." The bear paused for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know….I guess it's true what they say…ignorance _is_ bliss."

Nom Nom finally chose that moment to sit down beside the bear. "I don't know about that," he replied softly. "While you might not like truth…at least you _know_ and can stop torturing yourself wondering. The truth might hurt, but not knowing hurts more."

Grizz gave Nom Nom his full attention, sensing there was something deeper in the meaning of his words.

"I wish _I_ knew where I came from…or who my family was."

"You don't know?"

The koala shook his head slowly, looking down. "No. I was found just wandering around when I was a cub. I can't remember much before that…and it's haunted me all my life. I mean…did I come from a zoo? Was I someone's pet? Did they get tired of me and dump me? _What?_ I don't _know!_ I know it shouldn't matter, considering where I am now, but a baby koala doesn't just show up on the streets of California. I mean, there are days it never even crosses my mind, and then there are other days when it's all I can think about."

"Who found you?" Grizz asked after a brief pause. Nom Nom turned to him, raising a brow.

"What?"

"You said someone found you. Who? Were you taken to some kind of animal shelter?"

Nom Nom frowned and looked away, becoming very quiet. Grizz was certain he had touched on a very sensitive topic and was about to dismiss the question but the koala finally uttered a response, albeit quietly.

"No…The guy who found me was just a regular citizen going about his day. His name was Russ. He was kinda tall…and he wore a baseball cap all the time. He was homeless, and he didn't have a job. Most of the money he had was just what he found on the streets, or from people who took pity on him. When he found me, I couldn't even put up much of a fight, even though I was terrified of him. I was exhausted and weak. Needless to say, if he hadn't found me, I probably wouldn't even be here." Nom Nom paused momentarily, expecting to hear Grizz interrupt him with another question, but the bear seemed to be hanging on his every word, eagerly waiting for him to tell him more.

"He lived in a tent under an overpass, but he spent a lot of time wandering around through the city, sometimes looking for work. I remember when he brought me back to where he lived, the first thing he did was give me what was left of his food and water, which wasn't much. I ate everything that was offered to me as though it was my last meal, and I didn't _stop_ eating until he completely ran out of food." Nom Nom chuckled before adding, "Thus, I was given the name Nom Nom."

"Really?" Grizz asked, cracking a tiny smile at this small piece of information. "I always meant to ask if Nom Nom was your real name or if it was just an alias you used online."

"No…it's my real name." Nom Nom couldn't stop himself from smiling as he recalled the memory.

"Oh my gosh, that is the cutest thing!" the bear giggled excitedly. "So how long did you live with him?"

"I can't really remember. At that age, I didn't really have any grasp of time, but I think it was probably no more than a month." Nom Nom glanced at Grizz curiously as he caught him staring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Well?" the bear asked eagerly. "What happened next?"

"Well…we became pretty attached to each other. For a while, he would leave me in his tent while he went into town, but he eventually started taking me along. We definitely turned a few heads. I'd always sit perched on his shoulder and he'd just go about his business like having a baby koala sitting on his shoulder was the most normal thing in the world. He had a few favorite hang outs, and he'd usually carry an old tattered book to read, which I'm sure he'd read a thousand times before. But with me hanging out on his shoulder, he didn't get much peace. Anytime someone walked by, they'd have to stop and either pet me or take a picture. It was a little scary at first, but I got used to it after a while. He pulled in a lot of money when I was with him. It was like them seeing that he had another mouth to feed other than his own suddenly put everyone in the giving spirit. No one could resist tossing a few quarters into his hat when they saw me."

Nom Nom looked down at the ground as he began drawing tiny squiggles in the dirt with his claw. "He came up with this game that he liked to play with me…and it always seemed to really entertain the crowds. He would place three cups down in front of me, and he'd place a pebble under one of them, and then he'd move them around really fast and I'd have to try to remember which cup it was that had the pebble. He'd sometimes add a fourth or fifth cup just to make it more challenging. People loved it. They thought it was the cutest thing they'd ever seen. I grabbed a lot of people's attention…including that of a talent agent."

Grizz noticed the sudden change in Nom Nom's tone, and he frowned slightly.

"The moment he saw me, he wasted no time in trying to buy me off. He told that he felt I had the potential to be something big…and that he could open a lot of doors for me. He tried offering him a hundred dollars for me, but he was quick to turn it down, which shocked the guy. He probably never imagined a homeless man would turn down a hundred bucks, but he wasn't about to just walk away. He made one offer right after another. He managed to get all the way up to five hundred dollars, but Russ still wouldn't budge. When he realized money alone wasn't going to sway his decision, he decided to pull out the big guns."

"Big guns?"

"Emotional manipulation," Nom Nom hissed. "He managed to get it into his head that he was in no position to take care of any kind of animal, given the fact that he was homeless and didn't have an income. He told him that he couldn't provide the adequate shelter and care that I needed, and that if I needed medical attention, he'd have no means of providing it for me. He convinced him that it would be irresponsible of him to refuse to sell me to someone who _did_ have the means to provide for me…and that he was selfish for trying to keep me."

"What? That's not fair!"

Nom Nom glared at the ground. "Well…it worked. Honestly, if that agent hadn't come along, I'm pretty certain some kind of animal protection agency or whatever would have eventually come along and taken me away by force. I mean, I'm a koala, not a dog. I probably would have ended up in some zoo or sanctuary eventually."

"Well, maybe…but still. It sounded like he was taking good care of you."

Nom Nom shrugged. "He did. He cared for me the best he could, in spite of his limited resources, but he was convinced it wasn't enough, so he finally relented and agreed to sell me. He told me that he was only letting me go so that I could have a better life…and that he loved me. And well…the rest is history."

Grizz's face softened with sympathy. "Are you okay?"

The koala's eyes narrowed as he felt his eyes fill with tears. "Fine," he growled as he angrily wiped them away, avoiding the bear's gaze. "I mean…why should I complain, right? I went on to live a pretty great life…though I was a bit stubborn starting out. I didn't want to cooperate with the crew for the first couple of months. They actually had to place me in a room by myself with a hidden camera and a bunch of toys in order to film me doing anything cute. I was finally starting to learn how to speak during that time…and my agent had a bad habit of calling someone a 'Jackass' whenever he got into an argument with them. So guess which word _I_ started calling everyone?"

Grizz nearly doubled over with laughter. "You didn't!"

"Oh, I did. It was a miracle they didn't haul my butt to the nearest zoo and drop me off at the gates. I was just angry…with _everyone._ I had gotten so used to living with Russ, and I just wanted to go back to him. It took a while for me to finally stop missing him so badly and accept my new life. I even started to like it."

"Did you ever get to see him again?" Grizz asked hopefully.

Nom Nom looked away again. "I went looking for him about two years ago. I started thinking…I had all this money and all these connections. I felt like maybe I could give something back to him after all he did for me, maybe help him get a job. So I went to find him. I thought I'd find him still living under the overpass, but he wasn't there, so I just started checking all his usual hangouts. I could never find him, though. Finally, I went to the Farmer's Market where he usually bought his food to ask someone if they knew where he was." Nom Nom paused again. "The weather had been kind of unusual a few months prior. There were a few days where it got really cold…and it rained a lot. When one of the vendors noticed Russ hadn't shown up for a few days, they went looking for him." Nom Nom let out a shaky breath. "They found him in his tent…dead. He had gotten sick. They said they thought it might have been pneumonia…probably due to being out in the cold and rain."

Nom Nom finally turned his attention back to Grizz, noticing the bear looked close to tears himself. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he rested his chin on his knees. "I think what hurts…more than anything…is the fact that I could have prevented it. If I had just went looking for him sooner…If I had just thought to…" The koala grit his teeth as he managed to stifle a sob. "He may still be here." Unable to fight back his tears any longer, Nom Nom quickly buried his face in his arms.

Grizz started to reach out to place a comforting paw on his back, but he paused and pulled it back, uncertain if Nom Nom wanted to be touched at that particular moment.

"Nom Nom…you can't torture yourself like that," he replied softly. "You didn't know. There's no _way_ you could have known. You can't blame yourself for what happened."

Nom Nom suddenly lifted his head, glaring at the bear through tear-filled eyes. "YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TOLD MYSELF THAT A THOUSAND TIMES?!" he cried, wiping at his eyes angrily. "But it doesn't matter! Because you can't! You can't look me in the eye and tell me it wouldn't have made a difference! Do you know how many times I thought about trying to find him?! It crossed my mind so many times, but I never got around to it because I would always get distracted with something! And finally when I _do_ decide to try to find him, it's too late!" Nom Nom continued wiping at his eyes with both paws, but his tears wouldn't cease. "He was the only person I ever cared about," he finished with a squeak.

Grizz didn't hold back this time. He reached out with both arms and quickly pulled the smaller animal against his large frame, somewhat surprised the koala did not resist. "Look, maybe it _would_ have made a difference, but you can't keep spending your life blaming yourself over it. You didn't _know,_ Nom Nom! We all have things we wish we could go back in time and change, things we would have done differently if given the opportunity. Beating yourself up over whether or not you could have changed the outcome of a tragedy…the only thing you're accomplishing is destroying your mental health."

Grizz squeezed Nom Nom a little tighter as he felt him clutch at his fur, his body still shaking with quiet sobs. "I know what you're thinking. There's this little voice in your head that's telling you that…maybe you didn't care about him, or you _stopped_ caring. But you know that's not true. You _did_ care about him. You still do…otherwise it wouldn't affect you like this." Grizz felt Nom Nom still slightly under his paws. "I know it's not easy to accept these things, but it's all you _can_ do. You need to let go."

Nom Nom pulled away to glance up at the bear momentarily before pulling himself out of his arms, shaking his head as he did so. "This is pathetic. You _literally_ just found out your mother was killed, and here you are trying to comfort me over something I found out about years ago."

Grizz furrowed his brows as he replied, "I don't see how that makes my pain more valid than yours." His shoulder slumped slightly. "But honestly…I had kind of accepted a long time ago that my mother had probably died. I wasn't sure…and I had always held out hope that maybe she was still out there somewhere. And…" Grizz felt himself about to cry, and he quickly took a calming breath to stop himself from doing so. "…I had thought about looking for her, too. But I could never bring myself to do it, because…somehow I just knew. You _didn't_ know about Russ, so it was like having the rug ripped out from under you." Wiping at his eyes, the bear smiled gently. "We both had people who cared about us…and who were willing to make difficult choices for our own best interests. The best thing we can do is acknowledge what they did for us…and just try to move on."

Nom Nom slowly nodded his head, sighing softly. "Thanks."

Grizz smiled. "Do you feel a little better after talking about it?"

"I guess." The koala exhaled again. "I just wish I could have said something to make _you_ feel better," he stated with a shrug, his gaze falling to the ground.

"You didn't _need_ to say anything. You listened…and that's all that matters to me. Besides, as horrible as it was…something good _did_ come out of it: my brothers. They filled that void that my mother left behind, and I couldn't be happier now. A bad situation can always bring something good, just remember that. Oh…and about the whole thing with not knowing where you came from…Don't worry about it." Grizz smiled warmly. "I know it bugs you, but it doesn't matter where you came from. All that matters is where you're going."

Nom Nom snorted at hearing this. "I don't even think I know where I'm going anymore. I know Russ would be ashamed of me if he saw me now."

"Listen…you didn't exactly have the best role models growing up. You were surrounded by a lot of Hollywood types who were mostly concerned with schedules and making money. It's no shock a lot of that rubbed off on you. I'm not saying how you acted was okay…but it's understandable."

The koala sighed again as he wiped away what was left of his tears. "I've literally been doing this all my life. Even before I was in a studio with a video camera in front of me…people were still gushing and fawning over me on the streets. I guess that's why I'm so afraid of losing it. I don't know how to do anything else. If I lost my job…I'd _be_ lost."

"You'd be fine," Grizz replied confidently. "You can always come to me for help."

Nom Nom wanted to respond to that, but instead he just stared down at his paws. He had never felt so humbled in his life.

The pair fell into a brief silence.

"Look…I'm really sorry for getting us lost out here."

Nom Nom shrugged. "Honestly…even though I was pretty angry in the beginning, it's actually been kind of nice not having to keep up with schedules and having to appear at events. Even so, I'll still be glad to get back to civilization. Going this long without the internet…just feels unnatural."

"True that," Grizz chuckled. As he looked towards the sky, he took note of how quickly it had darkened in the last twenty minutes. The once pink sky had now shifted to a purplish blue. "'C'mon…let's get some sleep," Grizz stated as he staggered to his feet. Nom Nom did the same, and the two slowly started heading back towards the trees.

Grizz winced and clutched his stomach as his hunger pangs reminded him that he was teetering on the edge of a potentially dangerous situation. Fear began to plague him as he once again recalled what had happened to his brothers. He glanced worriedly at Nom Nom, and his concern only escalated. He knew the koala would stand absolutely no chance of surviving if he were to suffer the same fate that his brothers had. He had meant to try and find something to eat, but his conversation with Nom Nom had distracted him.

"Hey, uh, listen…I've been thinking…" he began before Nom Nom had a chance to take his place back under the cypress tree. The koala turned to him, his brows raised curiously. "I think it might be better if you slept in one of these trees. You know…just to be safe."

"Safe? Safe from what?"

As if on cue, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a wolf howling. Grizz quickly took advantage of this. "From wolves! No offense, but you wouldn't have much of a defense against a predator like that. Wolves can't climb trees, so there's no chance they'd be able to get to you."

"Why are you so concerned _now?"_

Grizz felt himself beginning to sweat.

"I…just wasn't really thinking before. After that first close call we had, I figure it's best that we don't take any chances, right?" Grizz could only hope that his reasoning sounded sensible.

"Well…what are _you_ going to do?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll just sleep down here. I've got better odds against a wolf than you do. No offense."

"Look, I really don't think-"

"Nom Nom, would you please just get in the tree?!" the bear snapped, startling the koala. _Easy, Grizz. Don't start panicking._ "S-Sorry. I just really think it'd be best."

Though he still looked somewhat unconvinced, Nom Nom finally shrugged in acceptance. "Fine, whatever…If you really think I should…"

The bear relaxed somewhat when he saw Nom Nom shuffle his way towards a tree and began climbing.

"Uh… I think you should climb a little higher than that," he added as he noticed Nom Nom settle himself atop the lowest branch of the tree.

"What? Seriously?" the koala quipped. "How high?"

"Uhh…at least ten feet. Maybe a little higher."

Nom Nom started to open his mouth to protest, but he simply shook his head and continued climbing, muttering curses under his breath. "Okay, how about now?" he asked irritably.

"Yeah, that's good!" Grizz turned and crawled back under the cypress tree. "I'll just sleep right here," he muttered, resting a paw against his rumbling stomach. He knew he stood little to no chance of getting any sleep tonight, not with his hunger as intense as it was. Still, he laid himself down into the soft dirt and closed his eyes, his thoughts momentarily drifting to his brothers and wondering how they were faring without him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter has left me feeling mentally exhausted. I mean, aside from it being just a really long chapter to read through multiple times, this chapter was kind of a turning point for the main characters and I've spent a lot of time working on it. While they're two very different characters, I wanted them to have something very deep and personal in common that they could both relate to. Grizz's backstory is mostly just based on fanon theories, which I personally believe to be true. Nom Nom's backstory, however, came out of nowhere honestly. It kinda just hit me all at once. I have this weird habit of taking characters we know little or nothing about and giving them the most tragic, detailed backstory and I don't know why DX It's becoming a reoccurring them in a lot of my stories. I mean, the accepted headcanon for Nom Nom seems to be that he once lived in a zoo. This is more than likely true, but given the fact that it's widely accepted that Grizz's mother was killed, I wanted to come up with something a bit more tragic in order to really bring the characters closer together. Heh...I know I'm cruel, but this is the kinda stuff I live for.

But as I said, this chapter has been exhausting and I just want to finally put it behind me. My apologies once again for the late update.

And for those that are wondering, yes, Panda, Ice Bear and Charlie will be making another appearance soon.


	7. Primal

**Chapter VII:** Primal

Nom Nom groaned softly, feeling a slight pain in his back as he tried to alter his position. Opening his eyes, he was astonished to see that it was already daylight, and it looked to be fairly late in the morning, judging by how high the sun already was. Though it hadn't been the most comfortable sleep, he was at least grateful that he had been able to sleep at all, and also for having managed to not fall out of the tree while he slept. He almost laughed out loud as he suddenly realized just how domesticated he was, considering his species was known for being tree dwellers.

Extending his arms over his head, he arched his back slightly and stretched. "Hey, Grizz, are you up yet?" he asked groggily as he peered down at the ground. He looked around in confusion when he saw that the bear was nowhere in sight. "Grizz!" he called a little louder as he began to carefully descend to the ground. Still, he received no answer. After dropping down to the ground, he immediately began searching for the bear, certain he was just out looking for food somewhere. As he came upon the clearing, he immediately spotted a large, brown mass of fur standing in the stream. "There you are."

Nom Nom picked up as his pace as he made his way over to the bear, noticing he had his head submerged beneath the water. "Hey, Grizz, come on, let's get a move on!" he called to him, though he still could not hear him beneath the water. "GRIZZ!" he shouted again but still he got no response. Rolling his eyes, Nom Nom scanned the ground for something light to throw at him. He scooped up a pinecone and chucked it as hard as he could, satisfied to see it bounce off the bear's rump. As he watched him lift his head from the stream, Nom Nom's eyes widened and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. He locked eyes with a bear that was clearly not Grizz. It huffed loudly through flaring nostrils, while baring its frighteningly sharp teeth, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. Though the most horrifying thing about this bear was its eyes. In those eyes he saw nothing but a thirst for blood, with no sense of empathy. This bear was wild, and right now it looked anything but docile.

"GRIZZ!" Nom Nom shouted, looking around frantically for his companion. "GRIZZ, I'VE GOT A SITUATION HERE!"

The grizzly narrowed its eyes and snarled, taking a step forward.

"GRIZZ, WHERE ARE YOU?! I NEED YOUR HELP! GRIZZ?! SITUATION! _SITUATION!_ "

Nom Nom began to tremble, his heart pounding so rapidly he could hear it in his ears. He slowly started to back away, still holding out hope that Grizz would rush to the scene at any moment and fend the beast off. " _GRIZZ!"_ he screamed again, his throat becoming strained. He stumbled and fell back onto his rump, his fear finally immobilizing him. He opened his mouth in preparation to call out for Grizz one last time, but his voice hitched when he saw the grizzly lift a paw out of the water and slam it down on the grassy bank. He stared at that paw, his hopes for a rescue dashed as realization set in. He stared at the large cut on the bear's paw for a full six seconds before slowly looking back up to stare into its wild eyes with a look of fright. "Grizz?" he squeaked, feeling every last breath of air leave his lungs.

The bear suddenly let out a loud, ear-shattering roar, spittle flying everywhere. Nom Nom scooted back on his rump as the larger animal began moving towards him, his quiet whimpers drowned out by the sound of the grizzly's loud snarling. He suddenly felt his paw touch something soft and wet, and he looked down to see his paw sinking into a thick mud puddle. Having no other options, he scooped up as much of the muck as he could and flung it at the bear's face. As the bear snarled and lifted a paw to try and wipe the mud from his eye, Nom Nom quickly seized the opportunity and jumped to his feet to flee, knowing he only had seconds before the bear recovered. He headed straight for the forest, never once looking back to see if Grizz was pursuing him, though he was fairly certain he was; he could hear his paws hitting the ground heavily as he began galloping after him.

Nom Nom did not allow himself to stop as he raced past the trees. He braved a brief glance over his shoulder, happy to see that the bear was forced to slow down as he tried to maneuver his way around the numerous trees and shrubs that stood in his way. Nom Nom lifted an arm to shield his face and pushed his way through some dense vegetation. Once he made it through, the ground suddenly disappeared beneath his feet and he felt himself dropping down a rather steep, muddy slope. He was only on the ground for a second before he was back on his feet again, though his legs were starting to feel like jello now.

His relief finally came in the form of a hollowed out log, which he quickly took refuge in. As he peeked through a tiny, golfball sized hole on the side of the log, he saw Grizz suddenly gallop into view and come to a halt just eight feet away from him. Nom Nom slapped a paw over his mouth as his sudden appearance nearly caused him to scream. He held his breath and watched silently, trembling heavily as he watched the grizzly survey his surroundings and sniff around.

A few tense seconds passed before the bear seemed to give up and lumber away and out of sight. Nom Nom closed his eyes and leaned back against the log, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Just then, a large paw suddenly broke through the top of the log, coming within just inches of the koala, who screamed loudly and shielded his face as he was showered with chunks of rotting wood. He was unable to move fast enough in order to avoid a claw slashing his shoulder, though he hardly felt it in that moment. Looking up, he saw Grizz try to fit his head through the hole he had created, snapping his jaws loudly. He managed to duck out of the way as he took another swipe at him and quickly rushed out of the log right before the bear tore it apart. He rushed for the nearest tree and leapt onto the trunk, scrambling to climb as fast as he could to the top. It seemed futile, considering Grizz could climb the tree just as easily as he could, but at the moment, it was his only option since there was no chance of him outrunning him.

Nom Nom managed to move out of the way right as Grizz's paw came down on the trunk, his long claws raking across the bark where he had been just a second ago. The larger animal quickly started making his way up the tree, taking multiple swipes at the koala as he came within his reach, ripping through branches and sending small fragments of wood flying everywhere. Nom Nom couldn't afford to be cautious with his climbing. He resorted to jumping to the next highest branch, as the bear was always within an arm's length of him, and any hesitation on his part would result in him being caught.

"Grizz, snap out of it!" he shouted as he continuously avoided being struck with his paw, but the bear was relentless with his aggression. Looking up, he saw that the tree did not extend much further, and it didn't look as though Grizz would have any trouble reaching him once he made it to the top. There were no other trees close by that he could jump to. He fully realized the hopelessness of the situation and let out a choked sob, looking down at the predator with pleading eyes. "Why are you doing this?!"

Grizz caught up with him instantly and took a powerful swipe at him, knocking him from his perch and sending him plummeting back down to the ground, his body taking a massive beating as he fell against thick branches on his way down. He attempted to grab on to one of the branches as he fell, causing his wrist to twist at an unnatural angle. He finally landed flat on his back, which knocked every last breath of air from his lungs and left him gasping like a fish out of water, eyes wide in shock. As he lay there trying to breathe more air into his lungs, he could vaguely see Grizz beginning to descend from the tree. He made a feeble attempt to sit up, but he immediately fell back down as he felt a sharp pain around his rib cage.

After dropping down onto the ground, Grizz immediately began lumbering towards him. Nom Nom made one final attempt at sitting up, but Grizz lifted a large paw and pushed him back down, his claws pressing into the koala's throat. In that moment, Nom Nom felt his will to fight fade, and he turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut in preparation for his death. He could only hope that it would be a quick one.

The bear leaned down, opening his mouth as he prepared to rip his prey's head right off his shoulders. He paused when a sound caught his ear, and he looked up, noticing a young buck had leapt into the vicinity. They locked gazes for a moment before the deer turned and dashed away, triggering Grizz to give chase.

As the koala felt the weight of Grizz's paw lift from his chest, he managed to take in a shallow breath. He slowly began to feel the full pain of his injuries once the adrenaline began to subside. It took him several tries to get to his feet, his movements made more difficult by the pain he felt in his ribs. The thought that one of them might be broken gave him more reason to keep his movements slow and paced. Noticing red out of the corner of his eye, he looked down at the gash on his shoulder, noticing quite a large amount of blood had stained the fur on his arm. He continued staggering along, unsure of where he needed to go. While he wanted to put as much distance between himself and Grizz as possible, the thought of being alone in these woods terrified him. Having Grizz with him had been a comfort to him, ironically. Now he felt more helpless than ever.

Finding a dead tree with a hollowed out trunk, Nom Nom took refuge inside and curled up on the ground to rest. He had a glimpse at his aching wrist, noticing it had started to swell. He closed his eyes and whimpered softly, hardly convinced he'd live to see another day. If Grizz managed to track him down again, he knew he wouldn't be so lucky next time.

ooooooo

The first thing that registered with him as he slowly came to his senses was a horrible metallic taste in his mouth, and a powerful one at that. He might have suspected that he had simply bitten his tongue if it weren't for the fact that the taste of blood was so incredibly overpowering.

Looking down, Grizz's eyes widened in horror when he saw the partially-eaten deer carcass lying in front of him, its mouth open and tongue hanging out. Grizz looked down at his paws, noticing they were completely covered in blood. "Oh, no," he whispered, beginning to shake. He stood up and looked over the rest of his body, finding more blood staining his rich brown fur. "No…No, no, no!"

Grizz backed away from the carnage he had undoubtedly caused, bumping against the trunk of a tree. "I'm sorry," he whimpered as his eyes welled with tears. He was a natural born carnivore, he knew that, but he had spent the majority of his life eating processed meats, never once having to look upon the face of the animal he was eating. He knew it was irrational to feel this way, but he couldn't help it. Looking upon the pained face of the deer, its lifeless eyes staring into nothing, was just too much.

Grizz turned and fled the scene, a rush of nausea overwhelming him. As he resisted the urge to vomit, he ran until he came upon a small creek. He shoved his paws into the water and began scrubbing them vigorously, along with his arms and muzzle. "I didn't mean to," he whimpered. As the creek slowly turned redder and redder, Grizz continued scrubbing himself until the evidence of his 'crime' had been almost completely erased. What frightened him more than anything was just the fact that he couldn't remember it, and that he had no control over the situation. Not having that control was a horrifying thought, and even more horrifying than that was the thought that it could happen again.

Grizz suddenly stilled and he looked up as he felt his blood run cold. _Nom Nom…_ He jumped to his feet and started running, calling out to the koala. "Nom Nom! Nom Nom, where are you?!"

The minutes passed, and his search turned up no results. He began to sob quietly as he continued shouting Nom Nom's name, his hope dwindling. His imagination quickly took over, and he envisioned finding the koala's mutilated body lying in the woods somewhere. If he couldn't locate his remains, then he could only speculate that he had completely devoured him, leaving nothing behind to indicate he had ever existed. Grizz knew he'd never be able to forgive himself, and the guilt would likely drive him to find the nearest cliff and throw himself over.

Grizz slowed to a stop, turning clockwise and counterclockwise as he looked all around him. "No…No, please," he whispered. "Nom Nom, please! If you can hear me, please come out!" he cried desperately. His legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he cried over and over, covering his face with his paws. "Please be okay."

"Grizz?"

The voice was quiet and very hoarse, but he still recognized it. He whipped his head around and spotted the marsupial cautiously peeking his head out from a hallow tree.

"Nom Nom!" Grizz leapt to his feet and started to race towards him, but he slowed his movements when he saw the koala instantly withdraw back into the trunk with a look of terror. He continued forward, though much more slowly now.

"Stay back," he heard Nom Nom warn fearfully as he crouched down in front of the tree. Grizz was horrified to see that, while the koala was still alive, he had not escaped completely unscathed. Aside from his visible injuries, it was clear he was absolutely traumatized from the ordeal.

"Nom Nom, it's okay," he said gently, moving a little closer, which only resulted in Nom Nom pushing further back into the trunk.

"D-Did you de-crazy yourself?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Grizz might have laughed at that comment if he wasn't so traumatized himself.

"I'm okay now," he replied, smiling weakly. "You can come out."

It took a few moments for the koala to finally work up the courage to ease his way out of the tree, and when he did, Grizz was able to see the full extent of his injuries in better light. The most horrifying thing to look at was the gash on his shoulder, which had bled very heavily and had soaked almost all the fur of his arm with blood. All along his head were tiny cuts as well, and seeing him clutching his ribs made him fear he had internal injuries.

"Nom Nom, I-"

"What happened to you? You nearly _killed_ me!"

"I…I'm sorry, I…I thought I could control it. I thought I could stop it from happening."

"Wait…You mean you knew? You knew you were going to turn into some werebear and you didn't tell me?! Don't you think that's something I should have known about?!" the koala shouted angrily.

"I didn't know if I would or not. I just knew there was a…possibility. The same thing happened to my bros when we tried living in the woods. They went too long without eating, and…became violent. They didn't remember, though…and I never told them what happened. I thought that maybe I could control myself and stop it from happening, but that's why I wanted you to sleep in the tree, that way if it _did_ happen, maybe I wouldn't see you and would just go elsewhere. I thought you'd be safe."

"Why didn't you just _tell_ me all this?! If I had known that, I would have just stayed up in that tree and wouldn't have come looking for you!"

"I didn't want to scare you," Grizz answered meekly, wincing.

Nom Nom snorted. "Oh, well thank you. I'm so very relieved to hear that! Oh, did I mention I might have a broken rib?"

While he still maintained his ability to shoot out a sarcastic retort, Grizz could see that the koala was still trembling with fear. He started to reach out to him, but the smaller animal immediately pulled back.

"No, just…don't touch me," he hissed, edging back inside the trunk.

"I'm sorry," Grizz whispered as he dropped his head in shame. In all honestly, he still didn't feel quite like himself. The taste of blood still lingered in his mouth, and much to his own horror, the more he tasted it, the more he began to crave it. The thought that he could revert back to his primal state made him seriously consider making a very drastic choice.

Nom Nom furrowed his brows when he saw the bear stand up and start backing away slowly, looking panicked. "What're you doing?"

"You're not safe around me. I don't want to hurt you again."

"Grizz, what're you-"

"We can't travel together anymore."

Nom Nom's eyes widened. "No…Grizz, h-hold on," he started calmly as he took a step forward. "Let's not do anything crazy. We _can't_ split up. I don't even know where we are anymore. W'e've been thrown off course… _again._ "

Grizz shook his head, continuing to back away. "You're not safe," he repeated, his voice cracking as the urge to cry returned.

"Grizz, you can't just leave me out here!" Nom Nom insisted again, his tone a bit angrier.

"You're better off alone than with me."

At this point Nom Nom became borderline hysterical. "GRIZZ, DON'T! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

"I'm sorry," the bear sobbed before turning to flee, never once looking back.

Nom Nom attempted to run after him. "Grizz, wait! Don't-AH!" He gasped and clutched at his side as he felt another sharp pain in his ribs, which halted his pursuit and instantly brought him to his knees. He looked up, peering through the trees helplessly as he tried to get a glimpse of the bear, but he was already well out of sight. He lowered his head and glared at the ground, his surroundings becoming distorted as tears blurred his vision. "You can't…leave me here," he whispered shakily. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head, pushing his vocal chords to their limit as he shouted, "YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE LEAVING ME HERE TO DIE! I CAN'T DO THIS BY MYSELF! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!"

As his words were met with cruel silence, his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he lowered his head as he began to cry softly.

ooooooo

Grizz ran for as long and fast as his limited strength would allow. Once he was certain he could go no further, he finally collapsed to the ground, his ravaged breaths gradually transitioning to quiet sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated over and over again. He just couldn't allow it to happen. He _wouldn't_ allow it. Given the choice between abandoning the koala or risking another attack that may very well leave him dead next time around, the former seemed like the better option, even if it wasn't exactly a good one in its own right. He knew leaving Nom Nom alone to fend for himself was dangerous, but the dangers of staying together were far greater as far as he was concerned. Nom Nom had gotten lucky once, but he was certain he wouldn't get lucky a second time if the situation was to repeat itself.

His thoughts shifted back to his brothers and his despair immediately escalated. He feared his baser instincts were slowly taking over. Though he felt like his usual self for the most part, he still feared he was unstable. Since he had no recollection of his primal state, he therefore had no idea just how long he had been in that state. Had it only been a few minutes, or had it been a few hours? What would happen if he were to revert back to that state again? Would it be permanent? It was probably a silly thought, but it still gave him pause. When it came to the safety of his brothers, there was no risk worth taking.

"They deserve better," he whispered as he wiped his eyes. "I'm a monster." He slowly staggered to his feet. _I can't go back. I can never go back._ The bear stumbled along through the forest, crying softly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was originally supposed to be much longer. This was supposed to be the last chapter before the epilogue, but as I finally got around to writing it, I realized fairly quickly that it was just going to be too long for a single chapter. What I thought was going to be roughly 6,500 words turned into 10,000+. I really don't like for my chapters to be very long, so I decided this chapter was going to be split into two parts. And then 2 parts turned into 3 parts XD. There's just too much stuff that happens, and if I had tried squeezing it all into one chapter, I felt like readers wouldn't be able to appreciate what was happening, because the chapter would be revving up and then slowing down and then revving up all over again. I wanted people to savor every moment, and there was just no way that could be done if it were to be read in one sitting.

And...this is the chapter this entire story was built around. THIS was the scenario I had discussed with someone on tumblr. So...this was the most anticipated chapter for me and it was an exciting one to write.


	8. Solace

**Chapter VIII:** Solace

Not long after Grizz had left him, Nom Nom retreated back inside the hollowed tree trunk, feeling completely at a loss. He drifted in an and out of sleep for several hours, never feeling compelled enough to attempt to find his way back to the city on his own. The hope that Grizz would eventually come to his senses and come back for him was mostly what made him want to stay where he was and not wander off, but after so many hours of waiting, it became evident that Grizz was never coming back. Realizing he was only sentencing himself to death if he stayed put, Nom Nom forced himself to continue on, though not having someone there to listen to him didn't stop him from expressing his contempt.

"I'm gonna kill 'im….I'm gonna kill 'im…I'm gonna kill 'im," he growled over and over again as he slowly made his way through the darkening forest. "I swear, if I ever see him again-"

Hearing a rustle in the bushes nearby, Nom Nom gasped and quickly hid himself behind the trunk of a tree. As he cautiously peeked his head from around the trunk, he saw a small brown rabbit emerge from the bushes and scurry away in a burst of speed. He let out a sigh but then immediately yelped when he heard the distant howl of a wolf. "Grizz, if I die out here, I will haunt you, this I swear!" he cried out. "Never again will you get a full night's sleep because I'll be turning on every faucet and light in your house and rearranging all your furniture and useless junk! I hope you find a way to anchor all that stuff, 'cause it's gonna be pretty awkward trying to explain to your guests why all all the chairs and pictures are flying around the room!"

Moments after his sudden outburst, the koala sighed loudly, rubbing his tired eyes. "You're losing it, Nom Nom."

Getting an idea of where he was seemed impossible. It was all guesswork. He knew the city was close, but if he made another wrong turn, he could easily end up putting more and more distance between himself and civilization.

He stopped and peered up at the trees surrounding him, setting his sights on the tallest one he could find. He staggered towards the tree and very carefully started to climb its trunk, hoping he could get high enough to where he could get a glimpse of the city, but he was reminded of his limitations when he felt another sharp pain in his ribs, which ultimately sent him falling back down to the ground with a pained cry. He let out a defeated sigh as he slumped against the trunk, staring up through the canopy at the pinkish blue sky. They could have easily been home by now if this morning's events hadn't transpired.

A part of him wanted to try looking for Grizz, because as much as he wanted to beat the bear over the head for deserting him, he still didn't want to leave him behind. The only thing that stopped him was the thought that he may have been right in what he had said. What if he _was_ still dangerous? At the end of the day, Grizz was a predator, and he was prey. This was nature's original design, even if neither one of them followed the traditional roles of their respected species. While Grizz may have become domesticated over the years, he was still a powerful animal with the natural instincts of a predator buried deep within him, and Nom Nom was a small marsupial, who had about as much defense against an attack as a stuffed animal. He had been given his first taste of life the way nature had intended for him, and it sucked.

After walking for nearly an hour, the koala felt his energy deplete and he was forced to stop again. As he started to contemplate whether he should seek shelter for the night, he suddenly heard something that sounded distinctively like voices. He was unable to see anyone through the dense vegetation surrounding him, but they sounded close. His hope returning at the prospect of being rescued, he got back on his feet and started moving again. As he pushed his way past bushes and climbed over fallen trees, he could hear the voices becoming progressively louder, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought one of them sounded familiar.

The koala yelped loudly as he roughly fell to the ground after tripping over an exposed tree root.

"Hey, did you hear that?" one of the voices spoke, the one he was certain he recognized.

"Do you think it was an animal?" another voice responded, this one unfamiliar to him.

"Hello?!" the familiar voice cried out.

As Nom Nom managed to get to his feet again, he was able to make out three figures through the small gaps in the vegetation ahead of him. He could see them making their way towards him, the dull white beams of their flashlights moving sporadically as they walked. Nom Nom pushed forward through the vegetation to meet the approaching figures. He winced and held up a paw to shield his eyes as one of the figures shined their flashlight directly in his face.

"Oh my gosh, it's Nom Nom!"

Nom Nom immediately put a face to the voice before he even laid eyes on him.

"Dude, what happened to you?"

Nom Nom could sense Panda crouching down in front of him, but the giant red spot that had invaded the center of his vision after being blinded by the flashlight made it hard for him to focus on him.

"Is he all right?" he heard the unfamiliar voice ask.

"I don't know, he looks really banged up. Nom Nom, are you with me? Talk to me."

The koala flinched slightly as he felt a paw touch his arm. "How…?" He tried to formulate a sentence but it felt as though someone had crammed cotton balls down his throat, causing his voice to sound incredibly raspy. He could hear Panda unzipping something, though he still couldn't see much in front of him. He then heard what sounded like a cap being unscrewed.

"Here," he heard Panda say to him before he placed something into his paw. Nom Nom's eyes immediately brightened as he realized what it was, and he lifted the object to his lips, allowing the cool water to soak his parched mouth and throat. He didn't stop to consider if that was the last of their water, as he was too thirsty to care.

As he polished off the last drop, his vision finally started returning to normal, and he was able to make out the three figures more clearly. He could make out the polar bear standing just a few feet behind Panda, but upon seeing the tall furry creature standing on the other side of him, he nearly screamed. "W-Who are you? _What_ are you?" he asked as he took a cautious step back.

"Name's Charlie!" the creature greeted him cheerfully. "I'm a friend of the bears! We've been looking high and low for you guys! Man, you two sure went way out of the way. You really didn't know where you were going, did you?"

"That _is_ the general idea of being lost, genius," Nom Nom growled before looking back to Panda. "How did you know to come looking for us out here?"

"Well, we spotted your footprints in the woods near our cave…and I found your phone on the ground. We knew you guys were out here somewhere. Charlie spends a lot of time out in these woods, so he's been helping us maneuver around. He knows his way back," Panda replied as Charlie nodded his head with a smile. Nom Nom continued to eye the creature wearily, still not sure what to make of him. Leave it to the bears to make friends with such an odd creature.

Hearing his stomach growl loudly, Nom Nom glanced down at the yellow backpack Panda was clutching. "Do you have anything to eat in there?" he mumbled, his voice still a bit hoarse.

The bear perked and reached back inside the bag. "I've got some granola bars."

Nom Nom eagerly took the granola bar as it was offered to him and attempted to tear it open, momentarily forgetting about his injured wrist. He hissed in pain and let his paw fall back to his side again, glaring at the ground in frustration.

"Here, let me-"

Undeterred by his injury, Nom Nom lifted the granola bar to his mouth and took the corner of the wrapper between his teeth, tearing it open in one swift jerk of his head. Finally free of its wrapper, Nom Nom wasted no time and quickly crammed the bar into his mouth, sighing contently as he ate. Normally he detested granola bars, but right now it was the most delicious thing to grace his taste buds in three days.

"Nom Nom, where's Grizz?" Panda asked seriously, looking him straight in the eye. "Why isn't he with you?"

Nom Nom swallowed the last of the granola bar before answering. "I don't know. He left me behind."

Panda looked startled upon hearing this. "What? Why would he do that?"

"Something's wrong with him. He…He went crazy and attacked me. He did this to me," Nom Nom replied as he gestured to his injuries. Both Charlie and Panda looked horrified, though Ice Bear's gaze had hardened after hearing this accusation.

"Ice Bear doesn't believe you," he said flatly. Nom Nom turned to him, matching the polar bear's glare with one of his own. He balled up the wrapper in his paw and threw it to the ground before staggering towards the large white bear.

"Aw, man, don't be a litter bug," Charlie commented as he went to pick up the discarded trash and place it inside the backpack. Nom Nom ignored him, however, keeping his angry glare focused on Ice Bear.

"What, you think I just gave myself these injuries?" the koala challenged.

"Ice Bear knows his brother. He would never do that," Ice Bear affirmed, his angry glare intensifying slightly.

"You think I'm lying?" Nom Nom growled.

"Ice Bear _knows_ you lack honesty."

"Guys, that's enough. Stop," Panda warned as he stood up and placed himself directly between the two. "Nom Nom, tell us exactly what happened. What do you mean Grizz 'went crazy'?"

Nom Nom stepped away and seated himself against a rotting stump. "I woke up this morning, and I didn't see him anywhere, so I went looking for him. When I finally found him, he…wasn't himself. It was like he was wild… _feral._ There was nothing I could say or do to get through to him. I was nothing but prey to him. He was about to kill me, but a deer just happened to pass through at that very moment, so he went after it instead. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now."

"Is that when you got separated?"

The koala shook his head slowly, tired eyes staring at the ground. "He came looking for me. He seemed like he was back to normal, though I was still nervous about being around him. Apparently he _knew_ it was going to happen."

Panda arched a brow. "What? How would he even know that?"

"Because he said the same thing happened to you…and _you,"_ Nom Nom replied, looking from Panda to Ice Bear. The two brothers looked at each other with startled expressions.

"What? No, that never happened," Panda replied as he looked back down at the marsupial. "We would have remembered something like that."

"That's just it, though. He said you _didn't_ remember."

Panda looked absolutely astonished. "When did this even happen? And why didn't he tell us about it?!"

"He said it happened a couple of months ago when he got the stupid idea for you guys to live out in the woods. I guess he didn't want to worry you with it," Nom Nom responded with a shrug.

Panda stiffened slightly as he tried to recall the events of that day. He turned to his younger sibling, looking startled. "Now that I think about it…I don't really remember a lot from that night, do you?"

Ice Bear only shook his head.

"And Grizz _did_ seem kinda rattled around us…"

"So why did he act the way he did?" Charlie interjected this time. "What set him off?"

"It sounds stupid…but he said it'll happen if he goes too long without food."

There was a brief exchange of odd looks between the trio before Charlie suddenly felt compelled to make light of the situation. "Well, there's a simple solution to that. Anybody here got a Snickers?" he laughed, waiting expectedly for the others to join him in laughing, but the three animals simply turned to look at him with the most deadpanned expressions he had ever seen.

"Seriously, why is he here?" Nom Nom snapped.

"Heh…sorry. I have a tendency to make lame jokes at inappropriate moments when I get nervous," the Bigfoot muttered sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Rolling his eyes, Panda turned back to Nom Nom. "But why did he leave you?" he asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the main subject.

"He was afraid he'd go crazy and try to hurt me again."

"So what's he gonna do?!" Panda asked urgently. "Is he just gonna stay in the woods and never come back?!"

"I don't know," Nom Nom sighed, lowering his head.

Panda looked back to his brother worriedly. "We need to find him," he asserted, earning a nod from Ice Bear.

Charlie glanced down at the wounds covering Nom Nom's body and looked back to Panda with a look of skepticism. "Are you sure we should? If Grizz is really as vicious as he says, then-"

"We are _not_ leaving our brother out there all alone!" Panda shouted as he spun around to face Charlie, who held up his hands defensively.

"Pan-Pan, take it easy," he said gently. "Believe me, I don't _want_ to leave him. I'm just saying that maybe you guys should go back and get some help. This might be more than we can handle. I've lived in the woods a long time. I've seen what grizzly bears can do. It ain't pretty, trust me."

Nom Nom carefully rose to his feet. "I say we go find him," he said, prompting everyone to look his way. Ice Bear couldn't help but raise a brow.

"But…you said there was nothing you could say to get through to him," Charlie pointed out. Nom Nom paused before looking towards the two bears.

"Well… _I_ couldn't, but maybe they can," he said as he nodded to the brothers.

"Three to one, Charlie. We're going to find him," Panda said firmly.

Charlie sighed, nodding once. "All right, then. Let's get a move on."

ooooooo

While getting some food into his stomach had given him a small boost in strength, his stamina was still wavering. Keeping up with his three traveling companions was proving to be a bit of a challenge as they started traversing up and down natural inclines and slopes. Going downhill was fairly easy, but getting up was a challenge. Nom Nom kept quiet for most of the search, his throat too strained for him to call out to the lost bear. Panda and Charlie were handling that task just fine, anyway.

"How long ago was it since you last saw him?" Panda asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the staggering koala.

"I don't know…Eight…maybe nine hours ago? But I didn't travel too far from the last place I saw him. I spent a lot of that time sleeping on and off."

"Well then, hopefully he didn't venture too far," Panda murmured to himself. "Grizz?!" he called again, shining his flashlight in different areas of the forest "Grizz, can you hear me?!"

As the group halted for a moment to shine their lights throughout the darkened forest, Nom Nom breathed a soft sigh of relief and leaned against the trunk of a tree to rest momentarily, still clutching his ribs.

"Hey, are you okay?" he heard Panda ask as he turned his light on him, though he was generous enough to not shine it directly in his face this time. "Do you need one of us to carry you?"

"No!" Nom Nom responded, not intending to come off as harsh as he did. He sighed before muttering a quick apology and readjusting his tone. "No, I'm fine. I…just need to rest for a minute."

"Okay, time out for a sec," Panda declared, forming a T with his paws. "Charlie, how about you and I keep looking for Grizz," Panda turned to look towards Ice Bear, "and _you_ stay here with Nom Nom?"

Nom Nom's head shot up, and he quickly looked towards the polar bear with apprehension, while Ice Bear didn't look too pleased by the suggestion himself.

"Um…shouldn't you take him with you?" Nom Nom replied, eyes shifting rapidly between the two bears. "I mean, you might need his help in case…you know."

"Look, we can't just leave you alone, and you're really in no condition to be moving around much, anyway. You guys just hang here and we'll keep going. If we aren't back in an hour, then come find us."

"Does Ice Bear get a say in this?" the stoic polar bear replied flatly, crossing his arms.

"Dude, come on," Panda sighed. He knew his brother detested the koala, but now was not the time to be difficult.

"But…But what if you two end up getting lost, too?" Nom Nom asked.

"No worries!" Charlie answered confidently as he lifted one of his large feet. "I always leave a trail. We can find our way back here no sweat!"

Nom Nom felt compelled to keep protesting, but it was clear the panda was set in his decision. Moments after Charlie and Panda disappeared from sight, Nom Nom felt a heavy awkwardness set in as he was left alone with the polar bear. He could feel him staring at him, and he wondered how long it'd be before he took his revenge now that there was no one else there to stop him from doing so. Nom Nom didn't know which was more intimidating, a feral Grizz, or a vengeful Ice Bear. He really didn't know what this bear was capable of. He was intelligent and crafty, this much he knew.

The koala tensed slightly as he noticed Ice Bear finally shift away from the spot he had been standing in for the last five minutes. He kept his gaze lowered as he saw the white bear walk past him and take a seat on the ground just a few feet away from him, never uttering a word. Nom Nom slid to the ground, always watching the bear out of the corner of his eye.

ooooooo

"Grizz?! Hey, Grizz!"

Panda had been doing most of the shouting for the last ten minutes, while Charlie remained fairly quiet as he shined his flashlight through the woods, the troubling thoughts in his mind distracting him from the task at hand. He glanced worriedly at the back of the panda bear's head as one thought in particular kept nagging him.

"What if he doesn't want to be found?" he finally asked.

The question forced Panda to slow to a stop and turn to face Charlie. "What?" he responded quietly.

"Well…what if he's hearing us calling to him and he's staying hidden? Nom Nom said he ran away 'cause he thought he was too dangerous to be around."

Panda turned away sharply as he felt his eyes well with tears. "Charlie, don't say that!" he cried, clenching his fists. "Grizz wouldn't do that! He wouldn't leave us behind!"

Charlie started to reach out to hug the bear, but he hesitated, pulling his hand back and holding it against his chest as he stared at the ground sadly. "I'm just saying that…maybe in his mind he thinks he's doing the right thing. Maybe he's afraid of hurting you and your brother. If I was in his shoes, and I thought I was a danger to my family…I'd probably want to run away and never be found, either."

"Well, then he's stupid for thinking that!" Panda snapped as he wiped his eyes angrily. "He's not a danger to us! Whatever this is…Whatever's going on with him….we can deal with it. That's what a family always does! They face a problem, not run away from it."

Charlie hung his head slightly, looking incredibly guilty. "Panda, I'm sorry if you thought that I wanted us to just leave your brother behind. That's not what I wanted to do at all!"

"I know, Charlie. I know you're just scared. I'm scared, too, but Grizz is probably more scared than any of us. He's all alone out there, and we need to find him," Panda responded as he started walking again, prompting Charlie to follow, silently nodding his head in agreement. Panda was silent for a moment before glancing back at his companion with a softened gaze. "Listen…thanks for all your help. I don't think we would have gotten this far without you."

Charlie's face promptly brightened. "That's what best friends do!" he said cheerfully.

ooooooo

After ignoring the koala for close to fifteen minutes, Ice Bear finally embraced his own curiosity and glanced at the silent marsupial, his gaze immediately settling on the large gash on his shoulder, which still stood out even in the diminishing light. Judging by the amount of blood, he figured it had to be fairly deep. Seeing such a wound immediately reminded him of the fact that he had thankfully packed his bag with more than just food. He slid the backpack from his shoulders and unzipped one of the side pockets, where he found washcloths, a bottle of peroxide and a roll of bandages, among other things. First aid supplies had been the very first thing he went for when he had started gathering supplies, knowing they would be needed at some point, given the fact that they would be traveling rough terrain. Cuts and scrapes were to be expected.

Ice Bear turned on his flashlight and grabbed the peroxide and a clean washcloth before quietly scooting closer to Nom Nom, who he noticed had dozed off and was now slumped against the tree. He shined the light on his injury to get a better look, squinting his eyes as he inspected it. So much blood had gathered and dried around the surface of the wound that it was almost black. Ice Bear slowly reached out, touching his paw against the dozing koala's arm.

In an instant, Nom Nom recoiled, jumping back with a yelp and scrambling away from the polar bear as though someone had pressed a hot iron against his flesh. The reaction was enough to make Ice Bear jump back in surprise. It quickly became apparent to him that there was no way Nom Nom could have been lying about being attacked, regardless of how much he distrusted him. A reaction like that was a clear indication of trauma, and it made the bear feel mildly guilty for having not believed him.

"W-What're you…what're you doing?" the koala asked fearfully, chest still heaving as he rode out his sudden wave of panic. Ice Bear simply held up the bottle of peroxide and bandages for him to see, still maintaining his silence. Nom Nom glanced at the supplies in his paws and then back up at Ice Bear, still eying him skeptically. After hesitating a moment, he finally scooted back towards the bear, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact. He watched him out of the corner of his eye as he carefully unscrewed the cap to the peroxide and soaked a washcloth with it.

Ice Bear leaned in and pressed the dampened cloth against the open wound, hearing the koala hiss in pain. He gently wiped around the gash, breaking off small chunks and flakes of dried blood and gradually revealing the gash in better detail. After quickly soiling one side of the washcloth, he flipped it over to a clean side and dampened it with more peroxide. He pressed it back against the wound, noticing Nom Nom had less of a reaction this time.

"It's my fault he ran away."

Ice Bear stilled slightly upon hearing Nom Nom speak, though he didn't shift his attention away from his task.

"I got angry….I yelled at him." The koala paused for a moment before heaving a sigh. "I was just mad because he didn't tell me about all this. I didn't think he'd run off like that."

Genuine guilt had never been something Ice Bear ever would have thought he'd see the koala express, nor was it something he thought he was even capable of. He couldn't really get his head around it. What could have possibly changed in just a few short days?

"You were scared," came Ice Bear's emotionless response. After discarding the washcloth, he reached for the bandages and began unraveling them.

"I know, but…I still feel like it was my fault."

A part of Ice Bear wanted to pile on. He wanted so much to make Nom Nom suffocate under the weight of his own guilt by adding to it. Now that the blade was already in, he wanted to twist it, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He never made apologies for not trusting someone after they had wronged him or his family, but he also knew when to step back and not let personal feelings cloud his judgement. As far as he was concerned, Nom Nom had suffered more than enough for what he had done. Kicking him while he was down would have just been cruel.

Ice Bear leaned forward and began wrapping the bandages over the wound, making about four passes before he cut the end and secured it. Nom Nom glanced down to inspect his work, gently prodding it with his claw. He finally looked up at the bear, his expression a mix of gratitude and guilt.

"It's not your fault."

Nom Nom just stared, his mouth agape as the polar bear silently placed the first-aid supplies back inside the backpack and resettled himself on the ground just a few feet away. The koala exhaled slowly, leaning back against the tree. The air still felt heavy with awkwardness, and while he knew the reason why, he didn't know if it would be wise to bring up the subject. However, ignoring the elephant in the room was never a good thing, either.

"I wasn't going to leave you there, you know," he said after nearly five minutes of silence. He spared a nervous glance at the bear, noticing he had become very still. It almost looked like the bear wasn't even breathing. "I was going to come back…when we were done."

"You wouldn't have come back," Ice Bear replied quietly.

"Yes, I would-"

"You'd be dead," the bear interrupted him, finally turning his head to look at him sternly. It took Nom Nom a moment to interpret the meaning of his words.

"Oh…yeah, I guess I probably would be." He suddenly chuckled. "The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I didn't think that whole thing through. I mean…you _knew_ about my plans _,_ and it's not like you weren't going to tell your brothers what I had done once you got out of there."

"Ice Bear's not entirely sure they would have believed him."

Nom Nom glanced at the larger animal, staring at him silently for a moment as he mulled over his words, inwardly wincing at the nip of guilt he felt for purposely driving a wedge between the polar bear and his brothers. "Is that why you didn't tell them?"

Ice Bear looked at the koala with as much confusion as a typically expressionless animal could muster.

"I told Grizz. Well…I brought it up thinking he had already known about it…and he didn't. It wasn't a good night for me after that."

Ice Bear raised a brow at this.

"Yes, you can take pleasure in knowing that he ripped me a new one. He let me have it. Very loudly."

"Ice Bear is pleased to hear that."

"I'm sure," the koala mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Ice Bear only cares about protecting his brothers. Ice Bear didn't tell them because it wasn't important. They were safe. That was all that mattered."

Nom Nom looked down, momentarily deeming the discussion closed, though his conscience was still not satisfied. He dug his claws into the soft earth beneath him as the feeling nagged beyond toleration. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?!" he blurted out, startling the bear. "It was dumb, it was selfish, it was reckless, and I can't make excuses for it!" The koala took a deep breath and then slowly let it out before finally looking the bear in the eye. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly. Unable to tolerate Ice Bear's silent staring, he looked elsewhere, though he could still feel his gaze.

"Ice Bear thanks you for the apology," was all he said.

The two animals didn't share another word after that.

ooooooo

Panda and Charlie finally returned after nearly forty-five minutes, but the grizzly bear was not accompanying them.

"No luck," Panda sighed. He had a seat across from his younger sibling, Charlie placing himself beside him. "Let me see your bag for sec," he said as he extended a paw out to his brother, who handed him his backpack. Panda quickly searched both his and Ice Bear's bag, taking inventory of all their supplies. "Okay…so it looks like we've got two bottles of water left, about three granola bars, and a box of Pop-Tarts. We should still be good for another day, maybe two if we ration the water."

"Where do we go from here?" Nom Nom asked.

"We should probably call it a night, don't you think?" Charlie inquired, his gaze shifting between the bears and Nom Nom. "It's already dark, and everyone's tired."

"Yeah…that's a good idea." Panda eyed their supplies again. "If we can't find Grizz before we run out of food, then we'll have no choice but to turn back."

"Look, I still think we should turn back _now,_ or at least first thing in the morning, _"_ Charlie replied seriously before pointing a finger at Nom Nom. "He's hurt pretty bad and probably needs to see a doctor."

Nom Nom opened his mouth to dismiss Charlie's concerns but stopped himself as he remembered the pain in his ribs. He knew that was something that couldn't be ignored.

"Yeah…maybe you're right," Panda sighed. "I just can't stand the thought of leaving him alone out here."

"It won't be for long. Besides, once we make it back, you can get help. A search team could probably find him easily. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll spot him on the way back."

Panda nodded his head silently.

"Try to think positive, Pan-Pan," Charlie reassured.

"So…is it settled then?" Nom Nom questioned, looking between Panda and Charlie. "Are we going back?"

Panda lifted his head and opened his mouth as he prepared to answer, but an unsettling noise caused him to stiffen and avert his attention to the dense forest in front of him. Charlie followed his gaze, while Nom Nom and Ice Bear both turned to glance over their shoulders. They all held their breath, staring intently into the darkness as they listened for the sound again. There came a rather loud rustle, and the group was able to make out a large silhouette slowly edging towards them.

"Grizz? Grizz is that you?!" Panda called out hopefully, getting to his feet. As he started to make his way forward, Charlie immediately jumped up and grabbed the bear's arm, pulling him back. Before he could protest, he heard a low, menacing growl, which sent a cold chill down his spine.

"We need to go," Nom Nom whispered, though the urgency in his voice was still easy to detect. He very slowly began to scoot away from the edge of the trees.

The slow moving silhouette gradually stepped out from the shadows and into the pale moonlight for everyone to see. Instantly, their blood ran cold.

"Oh my gosh, Grizz," Panda muttered softly. Charlie's grip immediately tightened on the bear's arm.

Grizz surveyed the group, huffing loudly and teeth bared for all to see.

"M-Maybe if we don't move…" Charlie whispered fearfully.

"This isn't _Jurassic Park_ ," Nom Nom hissed through clenched teeth. "He _sees_ us. It doesn't matter if we move or not."

Their panic surged as they watched the bear slowly rise to his full height before opening his mouth and unleashing a blood-chilling roar.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So Charlie, Panda and Ice Bear show up just in time for everything to go to shit :D

I know I said I wasn't going to let the newer episodes affect how I wrote this story, but I really couldn't help myself as I was writing Charlie and Panda's interactions. Forgive me.

And please don't ask how Charlie knows about those dumb Snickers bar commercials xD I figure if he can get his hands on a computer to put up an internet profile for a home-sharing site, then him having knowledge of dumb TV commercials isn't too much of a stretch either lol. I just wanted an excuse to have Charlie make a lame joke.


	9. Reunion

**Chapter IX:** Reunion

Dropping back down on all fours, Grizz charged forward, setting his sights on Panda and Charlie. Still clutching Panda's arm, Charlie moved swiftly, pulling him out of the way of the charging grizzly and leading him away as fast as he could, though Grizz did not pursue them. He skidded to a halt and looked back over his shoulder, his gaze settling on Nom Nom, who still had not managed to get to his feet yet, though he was frantically scooting back across the ground. Once he saw the bear look his way, he immediately attempted to get to his feet, but he stumbled and fell back. Knowing he couldn't escape at this point, the koala braced himself, shielding his face with his arms as he prepared for Grizz to tear into him.

Suddenly, Nom Nom felt someone grab him roughly and pull him out of the way before the charging grizzly could sink his teeth and claws into him. Opening his eyes again, he was able to see the ground rushing by beneath him. Just as he acknowledged that it was Ice Bear who had grabbed him, he felt himself suddenly being thrown from his arms and straight into some thick underbrush. "Stay down," the polar bear stated firmly but calmly as he tossed him. The koala tried to maneuver around the brush but doing so was difficult, as he was constantly being poked and jabbed by needle-like twigs. He managed to find the smallest gap in the foliage and peeked through, noticing Grizz was still pursuing his brother.

Ice Bear stopped abruptly and turned to face his brother, who skidded to a halt just five feet in front of him. The polar bear tried to maintain his composure, but he had started to tremble slightly with fear. "Ice Bear doesn't want to fight you," he stated calmly, narrowing his eyes. Grizz responded with a loud huff, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Grizz!"

Ice Bear looked up, noticing Panda was heading towards them, while Charlie was sprinting to catch up with him. "Grizz, stop this! _Please!"_

Once he had finally managed to catch up with the bear, Charlie quickly grabbed his arm, holding him back. The grizzly bear turned to glance at them for a moment before refocusing his attention back on Ice Bear. He charged without warning, and Ice Bear widened his stance and braced for the violent impact.

Grizz collided with the polar bear roughly, pushing him back several feet, though he managed to keep himself standing. Ice Bear quickly pressed a paw against his throat in an attempt to keep his snapping jaws from getting too close to his face. Within seconds, Grizz's strength became too much, and Ice Bear found himself losing his footing and falling back. As his back hit the ground, he managed to lift a leg and press it against Grizz's abdomen, pushing him upward and completely flipping him over his head. Free of his weight, Ice Bear immediately jumped to his feet again. Grizz was on him again within seconds, taking multiple swipes at him while also trying to get at his throat.

Meanwhile, Panda kept trying to pull free from Charlie's grip. "Let go! I have to do something!"

"He'll kill you, Panda!"

They both continued watching helplessly, barely noticing Nom Nom had managed to crawl his way out from the underbrush and was now making his way towards them. "They're gonna kill each other!" he shouted.

They all looked on in shock as Grizz managed to overpower the polar bear and knock him to the ground, where he lay in a slight daze for a few moments. As he made an attempt to try and sit up, Grizz immediately shoved him back down with his paw, growling menacingly.

Panda finally managed to tear himself from Charlie's grip and raced towards his brothers, knowing Grizz was likely about to deliver the fatal blow to his youngest sibling.

"GRIZZ, STOP!" he shouted. "STOOOOP!"

The grizzly hesitated, his paw hovering above Ice Bear's head as he prepared to slash his throat. He looked towards the approaching panda, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

"Grizz, stop this! This isn't you! Just _please_ stop it! I know it's not your fault, but I'm not going to just stand here and watch you do this! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THIS! _PLEASE, GRIZZ!_ LISTEN TO WHAT I'M TELLING YOU! _"_

 _Pan-Pan?_

"Please…" The younger bear let out a choked sob. "Please, Grizz….I just want my brother back."

Grizz closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, Panda's pleas still ringing loudly in his ears. When he finally opened his eyes again, Ice Bear was the first thing he saw, and he was horrified to see the smallest splatters of blood on his body, which stood out in stark contrast against the white fur. "Li'l bro…?" he whispered. The panic seemed to dissipate from the polar bear's eyes, and he relaxed somewhat upon hearing his older brother's gentle voice instead of vicious growls and snarls.

"Grizz?"

Hearing Panda call to him softly, Grizz immediately whipped his head around to face him. He slowly stood up on his hind legs and took a step back, glancing between him and Ice Bear. "Panda, I…I didn't…"

"Grizz, it's all right," his younger brother assured as he held up his paws, taking a step forward. "It's going to be okay."

Grizz looked past Panda and noticed Nom Nom and Charlie standing not too far away. "Did…Did I hurt anyone else?" he squeaked, shifting his focus back to Panda.

"No, Grizz." Panda continued taking cautious steps towards his sibling. "Come on, let's go home, okay?"

Grizz squeezed his eyes shut as he grabbed at his head. "No…No, I'm a monster! Look at what I've done!" he sobbed.

"Grizz, it's not your fault. You weren't in the right frame of mind. You didn't realize what you were doing."

"No, Panda, stay back! I could change back any second!" the grizzly warned as he looked up again and held up a paw to stop him. "J-Just stay back, okay? I'm dangerous!" The bear immediately began backing away. "Please, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore," he managed to utter through a cracking voice, tears blurring his vision.

"You won't, Grizz, it's going to be okay. Let's just go home."

Grizz stood in complete silence for the longest time, trembling slightly. He glanced towards Ice Bear, relieved to see that he was on his feet again and seemed to be fine for the most part, but seeing the small blood stains from the nicks and cuts he had received during their brief brawl made him feel absolutely sick with guilt.

He didn't know what to do. While he wanted nothing more than to just go home with his brothers and try to put this entire ordeal behind him, he knew he was still incredibly unstable. He could easily revert back to his primal state at any given moment and attack his brothers again without a second thought. Hurting Nom Nom had been bad enough, but if he did something to seriously injure or even kill one of his brothers, he just wouldn't be able to go on living anymore.

Grizz locked eyes with Panda again as he started to open his mouth to reply, but an odd sound forced him to pause and look up towards the night sky. As the sound grew louder, everyone eventually turned their gazes upwards. They all gaped with looks of astonishment when they saw a helicopter emerge over the trees, its bright search light scanning the ground. Panda winced as the light briefly shined over him before moving over Grizz and Ice Bear. As the light shifted towards Charlie and Nom Nom, the Bigfoot let out a panicked yelp before he fled towards the trees, not wanting to risk being spotted by humans. Nom Nom glanced back at him momentarily before looking back up at the hovering aircraft. The bright spotlight found its way over to him and he winced, shielding his eyes as his entire body was illuminated.

"EVERYONE STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" a threatening voice shouted at them through what sounded like a megaphone. "NOBODY MOVE!"

Everyone stood in stunned silence as they watched the helicopter slowly descend into the clearing. People had already started leaping out of the craft before it had even touched the ground.

"Sir, are you all right?!"

Once he had recovered from being blinded by the spotlight, Nom Nom looked up and saw both of his security personnel rushing towards him.

"He's injured!"

Nom Nom took a step back as one of his bodyguards knelt down in front of him and extended a hand towards him. "N-No, I'm fine," he said as he resisted the approaching hand, his tone lacking its usual sharpness.

"Sir, you're injured," the man reaffirmed as he attempted to reach for him again. "We're taking you out of here."

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" a voice suddenly shouted aggressively, forcing Nom Nom to refocus his attention on the bear brothers, who were horrified to find themselves staring down the barrels of the guns being aimed at them.

"Woah, stop!" the koala shouted as he took off in a pained sprint. "STOP! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Did these bears kidnap you?" one of the authorities asked curtly, never taking his eyes off the bears as he kept his gun pointed at them.

"What?! _NO!_ No one kidnapped me! We just got lost! Now put the guns down, you nitwits!"

"Y-Yeah, officer, we swear we didn't kidnap him," Panda uttered nervously, never taking his eyes off the gun pointed at his face. "We were out here looking for him just like you were."

The armed men exchanged skeptical glances between each other, still keeping their weapons pointed at the bears.

"Put. The guns. _Down,"_ Nom Nom repeated firmly. After a moment's hesitation, the men finally complied, lowering their weapons. "Morons," the koala muttered under his breath. He turned and looked up when he suddenly felt someone standing over him.

"Sir, we need to get you to a hospital," his security guard repeated as he knelt down before him again. "Do you know if anything might be broken?"

Nom Nom looked downward as he lifted a paw to his ribs. "I…I don't know. I think I might have broken a rib."

"Grizz, stop! Where are you going?!"

Startled, Nom Nom turned and followed Panda's gaze, noticing Grizz had taken off in a mad sprint and was now heading towards the forest. _Not again._ "Woah, hang on," the koala protested as he felt himself being carefully lifted off the ground by his security guard. "Wait, put me down, we can't just-"

"Sir, we need to get you to the emergency room," the man cut him off sternly.

"But-"

"Nom Nom, it's okay, just go," Panda interjected, receiving a conflicted look from the koala. "We know our way back, don't worry," he reaffirmed as he started walking backwards. "But we need to take care of our brother first. We're not going anywhere without him." The panda turned and fled to the woods, Ice Bear immediately following after him.

Nom Nom silently watched them flee as he was swiftly carted away to the helicopter. He soon found himself zoning out as he was carefully placed on the floor. Various voices spoke urgently all around him, though it only registered as noise to him. Sitting in that helicopter and being surrounded by people meant nothing to him at that moment. Grizz was the only thing he could think about, and even if his brothers were there with him, it still didn't feel right to leave him behind.

He barely even acknowledged the human who was crouched over him and inspecting his wounds, though he flinched when he felt him place his hands on him.

"Can I ask how this happened?" he asked as he referred to his bandaged arm.

Nom Nom turned away, unable to look him in the eye as he softly replied, "A wolf."

ooooooo

Both Panda and Ice Bear had expected their search for Grizz to be a bit of a challenge, but as they stepped past the edge of the forest, they were both somewhat surprised to see their older brother sitting atop a stump just a few yards away, his back facing them. They stood silently for a few moments, the whirling sound of the helicopter gradually fading from their ears. They could hear Charlie's labored breathing behind them as he ran to catch up with them, though they didn't turn to face him.

"Is he…Where did he…?" the Bigfoot gasped as he leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees. Once he managed to catch his breath, he peered over the tops of the bear's heads and frowned deeply when he saw the eldest bear hunched over on the stump. "Is he okay?"

"I don't think so," Panda whispered as he started forward, Ice Bear promptly following. Charlie only followed a short distance before Panda asked him to hang back and give them a moment to talk to Grizz, to which he complied. Stepping closer to his sibling, he could almost feeling the self-loathing radiating off his body. Seeing his brother in such a state was frightening, and he didn't know if he was the right candidate to bring him reassurance. It seemed like _he_ was always the one who needed reassurance from Grizz.

"You guys should leave," Grizz muttered into his paws, breaking the silence first. "You're not safe."

"Grizz, quit being ridiculous," Panda countered. "If you don't come willingly then…we'll drag you home by force!"

Grizz lifted his head from his paws, looking at his siblings through tear-filled eyes. "Don't you get it?! I'm a monster!"

"Grizz, you are _not_ a monster!"

"Yes, I am!" the older bear cried as he buried his face in his paws again. "You're not safe around me! Just go, _please!_ I could change back any second!"

Panda's face softened as he watched his brother's shoulder shake with his sobs. Slipping his backpack from his shoulders, the younger bear knelt down on the ground and unzipped it. "Do you want a Pop-Tart?" he asked gently as he reached inside and pulled out the box of treats. Grizz raised his head and glanced at the box with mild interest. Panda smiled as he reached inside the box and pulled out an unopened packet, handing it out to the grizzly. Grizz slowly reached out and took the packet, promptly tearing it open. "Grizz…you're _not_ a monster. I want you to stop saying that."

Grizz looked away shamefully, biting into one of the Pop-Tarts and chewing it slowly.

"Did you think _we_ were monsters?"

The grizzly paused and looked towards his sibling. Unable to respond due to his mouth being full, he simply raised a brow.

"Nom Nom told us," the panda answered, and Grizz immediately looked away again. "Did you? Did you think we were monsters?"

"Of course not!" Grizz finally answered after swallowing the last of his snack, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.

"Then why would you think _you_ are?"

Grizz squeezed his eyes shut, shouting, "Because this is different! I nearly killed Nom Nom, and I hurt _you_!" he added as he looked towards Ice Bear. "And…I…I killed a deer. There was blood _everywhere_! It was horrible. You don't have blood on your hands like I do."

Panda sighed heavily as he took a step forward, placing his paw on the back of Grizz's head. "Grizz…you're being way too hard on yourself. You were just…being a predator. I know that's not very comforting, but this was what life would have been like for you if you had chosen to live out here. That's how all grizzly bears live. You're not a horrible person because you were following your natural instincts."

Grizz started munching on his second Pop-Tart, his shame still evident.

"We're not angry, Grizz, and we're not afraid of you. We know this wasn't your fault."

"Nom Nom was angry," the grizzly mumbled as he lowered his head. "He hates me now, I know it. He'll probably never want to see me again."

Panda knelt down to where he could look up into his brother's eyes. "He doesn't hate you, Grizz. He insisted that we come find you."

A look of mild surprise came upon the older bear's face. "He did? Really?" He glanced at Ice Bear, who simply nodded his head to concur. "I shouldn't have left him behind…but I was so worried that I'd-"

"It's okay, Grizz," Panda hushed him.

Grizz wiped at his eyes. "Is he all right?"

"They're flying him to the hospital right now. We can check in on him after we get back."

The brown bear looked away again, still unsure.

"Please, Grizz. Let's just go home. You _know_ we're not going to leave unless you're with us. I promise, everything's going to be okay."

Sighing heavily, Grizz glanced between Panda and Ice Bear before finally conceding, nodding his head in agreement. "Okay," he murmured as he finally got to his feet again. He closed the gap between himself and Panda and grabbed him in a tight embrace, which Panda returned without hesitation. As he felt Ice Bear move in to join them, Grizz quickly lifted an arm and pulled him close, holding both bears with every last ounce of strength his tired muscles still possessed.

Looking up, he saw Charlie had chosen that moment to finally approach them. He held his hands close to his chest, appearing timid. "Is everything all right?"

"Hey, Charlie," the grizzly greeted with a weak smile. He leaned into Ice Bear, having not realized until that very moment just how exhausted he was.

"You doin' all right now?"

"Yeah…I'm better," Grizz replied, though he didn't feel too confident in his answer. "I just wanna go home now."

Charlie smiled. "You got it."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well...one more chapter to go. I can't believe it's almost over.

I'd just like to make a quick note about the final chapter. I haven't actually started working on it yet, so I'm not going to promise an update next Friday. I'll just plan on posting it whenever it's finished, which may not be on a Friday. I just don't want to rush myself. Setting a deadline may mean sacrificing quality, and I don't want to risk that.


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Nom Nom made very slow work of the bowl of fruit that had been brought to him earlier, as their freshness left a lot to be desired. He stared listlessly at the TV mounted on the wall as he ate, though the volume was so low he couldn't hear a thing. He picked up another apple slice and examined it before deciding it was worth putting in his mouth. No one had entered his hospital room in over an hour, and the koala was starting to become restless. He was just starting to consider taking a nap when he heard a knock at the door.

Before he could answer, the door swung open and his security guard poked his head into the room. "Sir, the bears are here to see you," he stated gruffly. Nom Nom just stared back him with mild surprise. "Shall I send them away?"

"No, it's fine. Let them in."

The man pushed the door all the way open and stepped aside to grant the bears access. Panda and Ice Bear stepped into the room, and Nom Nom immediately frowned when he didn't see Grizz accompanying them. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach, as the last time he had seen the grizzly bear, he had been fleeing to the woods while his brothers chased after him. He had no way of knowing whether or not they had ever found him.

"Where's Grizz? He's not still lost, is he?" he asked seriously, earning confused looks from the two bears. They both glanced over their shoulders, and Panda sighed in frustration.

"Grizz, come on," he said. "Get in here."

A few moments later, a very shame-faced Grizz slowly stepped into the room, the view of his face partially obstructed by the large bouquet of flowers he was holding. He glanced at Nom Nom for just a second before he quickly averted his gaze and shuffled himself over to the far corner of the hospital room. Nom Nom didn't need to ask why the bear was keeping his distance.

"So…how are you feeling?" Panda asked, finally breaking the silence.

The koala shrugged. "I've got a sprained wrist and a cracked rib, so I'll be out of commission for a few weeks until everything heals." Nom Nom could have sworn he saw Grizz's head dip just a little lower out of the corner of his eye. "I'm curious…Was your house ransacked by any chance when you got back?"

Panda's eyes flashed and he immediately crossed his arms. "Yes, as a matter of fact. There was stuff everywhere! At first we thought we had been robbed!"

"Yeah, well...They traced the signal on my phone back to your cave, but when they couldn't find me there, that's when they started searching the forest. For all they knew, someone could have kidnapped me for ransom or something. They weren't going to take any chances. They were going to work under the assumption that if someone _had_ taken me, then they were probably armed and dangerous, hence the reason they were armed themselves."

"But why did they have to trash the place? The books on my bookshelf were all screwed up and there were a lot of papers thrown around. Couldn't they have figured out you weren't there without having to do all that?"

"Well, they weren't just looking for me, they were looking for any kind of clue as to where else I might be, like a ransom note or something."

"I still say being internet famous is crazy cool," Grizz muttered from across the room.

"Dude, they pointed guns at our faces!" Panda protested as he turned to shoot his brother a glare.

"Well…yeah, but…I mean, he practically had a SWAT team out looking for him when he went missing. How is that not cool?"

"Well, it _wasn't_ cool for me!" Panda quipped.

"Nor Ice Bear," the polar bear agreed, narrowing his eyes.

"Did they damage anything?" Nom Nom asked them.

Panda unfolded his arms as the anger seemed to dissolve from his face. "No, not really. Mostly everything was just strewn about. They went through our closets and everything. Even the shed behind our cave was messed up. It was just a matter of getting everything picked up and put back in its place. No harm, no foul I guess. Anyway….Grizz told us everything last night, about how you guys got lost. Honestly, if it had to happen, I'm glad you guys were at least together. Well…at least up until…You know, never mind, let's not go there."

Nom Nom glanced at the grizzly bear again, noticing he was still looking down at his feet.

"Um…Grizz told us what you did," Panda continued, regaining Nom Nom's attention. He furrowed his brows, unsure of what the panda was referring to.

"What'd you mean?"

"He told us you saved him from drowning in a river!" Panda exclaimed as though the answer was obvious.

"Oh…that." The koala shrugged, quietly adding, "It wasn't a big deal."

Panda looked stunned at hearing this. "It is to me! To both of us!"

"Seriously…don't mention it."

Ice Bear couldn't help but raise a brow. It was strange that Nom Nom wanted admiration and praise from everyone around him when he was only pretending to be a hero, and yet didn't seem to want to be acknowledged at all when he legitimately _was_ a hero; but then he remembered the guilt he had expressed and the disgust at his own actions, something the polar bear was still struggling to wrap his head around. It was apparent Nom Nom didn't feel worthy of praise, even if he had truly done something admirable. There was also the fact that Panda still wasn't in the know about what had happened. He figured at some point Nom Nom would probably break down and tell him the truth, but that was for another day.

The room fell into a brief silence, which was made more awkward by the fact that Grizz still maintained his position in the corner, his back facing the others. Panda finally cleared his throat as he glanced between his brother and the bed-bound koala. "Umm…listen, I think you guys need to talk for a while," he said seriously. He looked towards his brother again, who was now glancing at him over his shoulder. "We're gonna head to the store and pick up the essentials since…you kinda cleaned us out last night," Panda added with a chuckle.

Grizz appeared guilty. "Yeah…sorry."

"It's fine, Grizz. We're just glad to have you back."

With that, Panda started heading for the door, Ice Bear trailing behind him. "We'll see you back at the cave, okay?"

Grizz only nodded, offering his brothers a half-hearted wave as they exited the room, shutting the door on their way out. Another awkward silence set in, with both animals now looking at anything but each other.

"So….are you just going to keep avoiding me like the plague?" Nom Nom finally asked, though he kept his gaze lowered.

Grizz heaved a sigh and finally started shuffling his way over to the bed. "Umm…I didn't know if you liked flowers or not," the bear stated nervously as he held up the colorful floral arrangement. "I just thought…you know, maybe you might like something pretty to look at, I don't know," he said before carefully placing the frosted glass vase on the table near the bed.

Nom Nom offered him a weak smile, muttering a simple "Thanks." He frowned when he noticed what looked to be a stuffed animal tucked under his arm. "What's that?"

Grizz followed his gaze and perked up slightly as he pulled the stuffed toy out from under his arm. "Oh, well….stuffed animals always make people feel better. Well, they make _me_ feel better at least," he said as he held the toy up for Nom Nom to see. "I thought you might like it, too."

"A penguin?"

Grizz glanced down at the toy and then back up at the koala, smiling nervously. "Uh…well, yeah. I thought it was cute. I was going to get you a teddy bear, but then I thought that might offend you, so…I went with the penguin instead."

That statement actually managed to rouse a chuckle from the koala. He reached out and took the stuffed toy as it was offered to him, muttering another quick "Thanks" as he placed it on the bed beside him. They shared another brief silence before Grizz finally remembered that he was still holding one more item in his paw.

"Oh! Here!" he said as he moved towards the bed rather suddenly, which startled Nom Nom and caused him to flinch. Seeing this response, Grizz frowned and took a step back. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right," Nom Nom interrupted him with mild agitation as he held up a paw. "I'm still a little jumpy. I'm sure I'll get over it." He stretched his arm out a little further and turned his paw over, waiting for Grizz to hand him the item he was still clutching in his paws, which looked to be a card of some sort.

"They actually had a 'Get Well Soon' card with a koala on the front," Grizz said as he finally handed the card over to the marsupial. "I thought it was a good choice."

After briefly glancing at the cute cover art of a koala hanging from a tree branch with the words 'Hang in there!' printed across the top, Nom Nom quickly opened up the card to read what was written inside. He barely acknowledged the pre-printed well wishes and instead focused on the chicken scratch scribbled across the bottom of the card:

 _Sorry I tried to eat you. I hope you get better soon!_

 _\- Grizz_

Nom Nom almost laughed out loud when he noticed the little sad bear face Grizz had doodled next to his name. He looked up from the card when he heard a chair sliding across the floor and saw Grizz promptly take a seat.

"I should have told you," the bear said softly after an awkward silence, looking downward.

"Yeah, you should have," Nom Nom replied with a hint of anger as he closed the card and set it aside. Noticing that he bear's eyes appeared wet, he felt his heart wince with guilt. "But…I guess I understand why you didn't," he added in an effort to ease Grizz's shame. "Maybe I would have done the same thing if I had been you."

"I almost killed you," the bear managed to squeak, his lip quivering. "I couldn't control myself."

"You didn't mean to," Nom Nom continued to reassure, despite the anger he still possessed. Even if he had a right to be upset, he knew the ordeal had traumatized Grizz just as much as it had him, if not more so.

The bear finally broke down, leaning forward to bury his face against the edge of the bed and wrapping his arms around his head as he wept. It wasn't surprising to see, but Nom Nom still couldn't help feeling awkward and even a bit helpless as he watched Grizz sob loudly. He knew words of comfort would simply be drowned out by the sound of his crying and so instead he slowly reached out a paw and placed it against the top of his head, raking his claws through the coarse brown fur.

"I'm sorry….I'm sorry," the bear sobbed against the sheets. "I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster, dumb dumb. You just…succumbed to your natural instincts."

Nom Nom pulled his paw back as Grizz finally lifted his head to look at him directly, wiping at his eyes. "I had no control! I didn't remember any of it! Do you know how scary that is?! I never even thought something like that could happen until I saw it happen to my bros! But I thought maybe I'd have better control over it, you know? They had no idea that could happen, but I _did!_ I thought I'd have better control over myself."

The koala sighed. "Grizz, you're a bear. Bears are predators. They kill and eat things. It sucks for animals like me, but, it's nature."

Nom Nom cringed almost immediately after those words left his lips, and the crestfallen look Grizz was giving him certainly didn't help matters. "I'm not helping, am I?"

Grizz sighed as he rested his chin on his arms. "It's okay. It's just…I _know_ it's nature, but it just makes me feel like I'm a slave to my own evolution…if that makes any sense at all. I mean, saying 'it's just nature' doesn't undue the damage I've done. You're in a hospital bed for crying out loud, and I can't even make any sudden movements around you without scaring you!"

Nom Nom frowned. Although he would have preferred to leave his past actions _in_ the past, he didn't know how else to put Grizz's actions in perspective without bringing up his own.

"Grizz…look at what I did to you…and to your brothers, and then compare that to what you did. I _chose_ to do what I did, remember? I made the conscious choice to endanger your lives in order fulfill my own selfish needs. I _knew_ what the risks were, I _knew_ there was a chance something could go wrong…but I still made the choice to disregard all that in order to help myself. What you did could hardly be considered a choice. You didn't disregard your morals the way I did. Again, you were just an animal trying to survive. I mean…even humans can go crazy and do crazy things that they wouldn't normally do when they're in extreme situations like that. This doesn't define you."

Grizz could only stare back at the smaller animal, blinking away more tears as they threatened to spill over. "I just hate that there's nothing I can do to stop it from happening. It's the lack of control that really bothers me." Grizz wiped his eyes again. "I'm sorry, Nom," he added, his tone heavy with anguish. "I'm sorry I ruined your trust."

Furrowing his brows, Nom Nom took a moment to consider exactly how he wanted to respond to that comment. "Listen to me…I'm not the type of person who trusts anyone about _anything._ Not since Russ. He was the _only_ person I ever trusted, and I haven't trusted or cared about another person since I was separated from him."

Grizz's gaze fell to the floor, as he interpreted Nom Nom's words to mean that he had never trusted him to begin with.

"Not until I met you," the koala finally added after a moment's pause, forcing Grizz to look back up at him, a flicker of joy returning to his eyes. "When I met you, I thought you were loud and annoying. I _did_ think you were just another blithering fan, and I wanted nothing to do with you. I had told you I wasn't interested in hanging out with friends…and that I didn't need them. At the time, I honestly believed that, but only now do I realize the real reason why."

Nom Nom paused and exhaled.

"I didn't _want_ to trust anyone else. I had thoroughly convinced myself that I didn't need friends and that my stardom was all I needed to keep me happy and fulfilled, but the reality is I was afraid to let myself ever trust anyone the same way I had trusted Russ. I didn't want to go through that again. I didn't want to let myself to get close to someone else, only to end up losing them. I didn't think I _could_ trust anyone. The one downside to having all this fame is feeling like I'm a slave to my alter ego. I almost feel like I have no identity sometimes…and I feel like people don't actually care about who I really am. They only care about the fact that I'm cute, and that I can entertain them. When I first met you, I thought you were no different, but you showed an interest in me beyond just being famous. You still treated me like a regular person."

The tiny smile on Grizz's face was gradually becoming bigger and bigger.

"You were the last person I would have ever imagined I could relate to," Nom Nom added before taking another pause. "You know…I never got a chance to answer your question. You had asked me if we were friends..."

Grizz stiffened slightly, holding his breath in anticipation.

"After everything that's happened these last few days…I feel like I can finally say yes."

His urge to reach out and embrace the koala was overwhelming, and he almost gave in to that urge, but Grizz managed to hold himself back. He fidgeted, looking at the smaller animal pleadingly. "I really wanna hug you….but I don't want to scare you," he said with uncertainty in his eyes. He blinked back tears, wringing his paws. " _Can_ I hug you?"

Nom Nom managed a gentle smile. "Sure. Just don't turn my cracked rib into a shattered rib, got it?" he quipped.

His mouth stretching in a joyous smile, Grizz reached across the bed and wrapped his arms around the koala, being as gentle as possible. He felt Nom Nom push into the hug slightly, while resting a paw against his arm.

Nom Nom made a face as he heard Grizz sniffle rather loudly. "Don't get your snot all over me, geez," he chastised half-heartedly.

"Sorry," the bear laughed. After giving Nom Nom one last gentle squeeze, he finally pulled back, wiping at his eyes for the umpteenth time. "So…what're you going to do now that you're not going to be making videos?"

Nom Nom shrugged as he lifted a paw to observe his claws. "I dunno. I guess I'll just take it easy for a while. Maybe watch TV, read a book…or maybe play some video games." Nom Nom glanced at the bear out of the corner of his eye to gage his reaction, frowning impatiently when he saw him just staring back at him. "Or maybe play some _video games,_ " he repeated with added emphasis.

Grizz furrowed his brows for a moment before his eyes lit up as the light bulb finally went off. "Oh!" he exclaimed, finally realizing what the koala was implying.

"Geez, you're slow."

"Seriously?! You really want to?" Grizz was practically bouncing up and down in his chair.

"Yeah, why not? I need to kill time while I wait to get back to work."

Grizz giggled ecstatically. "Oh, man, this is gonna be awesome! When should we hang out? Oh, what sort of snacks do you like? Oh! Maybe we should do a slumber party!"

Nom Nom sighed and rolled his eyes, falling back against the pillow as the bear continued his excited babbling for nearly a minute. Grizz eventually caught on to the koala's annoyance and muttered a quick apology, smiling sheepishly.

"Listen…thanks for giving me a chance."

There was more than one way Nom Nom could interpret that statement, but he didn't feel it was necessary to make him clarify. It hardly mattered.

"Likewise."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well…this is it, guys. This is the end. I apologize for taking so long to finally release the epilogue but I hadn't even started it yet when I last updated, and I had some down periods where I didn't feel like writing anything at all, and so sometimes i went days without even touching this story. I didn't really know going in how I wanted to write the epilogue, so I kind of just wrote it as I went along and didn't really plan much of the dialogue aside from the opening scene. But the last scene between Grizz and Nom? That wasn't really planned out. I admit, that last scene between them was getting a bit on the shippy side XD I can't lie, I DO ship these two like FedEx and I kinda let that side of me shine through at the end there, but I tried to keep it strictly platonic because a friendship with these two I think would be just as beautiful as a romance ;) But you know…interpret it however you like.

This is the longest story I've ever written that I actually COMPLETED…and man does it feel good. It especially feels good after having recently received a negative review for a discontinued fanfic in which the reviewer stated my inability to finish a story 'reflects poorly' on me as a writer and shows I 'don't give a damn' about my readers. Needless to say, reading things like that really does a number on my self-confidence, but completing this story has helped to rectify that somewhat. I hated to see it end. I know the plot isn't anything spectacular, and the characterization isn't all that great either, but…I still had fun writing it and am fairly proud of it, in spite of its flaws.

Though the story didn't get as much feedback as I'd hoped for, I still cherished every last review I DID receive, especially those of BooBaLooPants (thatdoodlebug), Nebulousaria, and Overrated Fiction. I always looked forward to receiving them and loved hearing your thoughts about what you enjoyed and your takeaways from each chapter. Also another special thanks to thatdoodlebug for giving me lots of encouragement for this story even before I had published it, and again for the lovely cover art.

I'm pretty doubtful that I'll ever write a WBB fanfic of this length again, but this won't be the last story, I can say that much. Not everything that I write will be posted here, but I still plan to keep writing for this fandom. It's without question that all my fanfics will feature Nom Nom. I think I've made it obvious how much I love his character. He is my bae, he is my boo, and I love writing about him, even if my portrayal of him is wishful thinking.

Thanks for reading!


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